Baltimore: past and present. With biographical sketches of its representative men

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GENEALOGY COLLECTir

ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY

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BALTIMOEE:

PAST AND PRESENT

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES

REPRESENTATIVE MEN

.

BALTIMORE:

RICHARDSON & BENNETT.
1871.

Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1871, by

RICHARDSON & BENNETT,

In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C.

I

JOHN W. WOODS,
1' K I N T E R .

PREFACE.

L201283

We trust that there is no city in the land dearer to her citizens than our
own fair Baltimore ; and we are sure that there are none in which affection
takes so unostentatious a form. Willi a history reaching back into what, for
America, is antiquity ; with a record, than which none of her peers can show a
prouder ; with manufactures and a trade which place her in the front rank of
American cities ; with a long line of sons, distinguished in every walk of life,
her only chronicles have been fragmentary sketches, and the few bright pages
in American history in which her name is recorded. It has been the aim of
the editors and publishers of the present volume to supply, in some measure,
tliis deficiency ; and, after nearly two years of continuous labor, they have the
pleasure of offering to the public the first compendious account of Baltimore,
and of prominent Baltimoreans, ever yet published ; and one which they venture
to trust will not be found altogether unworthy the subject they have undertaken
to illustrate.

The comprehensive Historical Sketch of the city, from the graceful pen of
Bkantz Mayer, late President of the Maryland Historical Society, traces, suc-
cinctly, but clearly, the history of the city from its first settlement to the present
time, including its religious, social and commei-cial advancement. Replete as
it is with information of the development and material growth of the varied
industries which make a metropolis, and rich in happy description and pleasant
memories of the "olden time," we are persuaded that it will be found as enter-
taining as it is instructive and valuable. It has been pi-epared with great care
from the most authentic sources, and we have no hesitation in claiming for it
the authority of a standard.

In the department of Biography will be found sketches of the lives of such
citizens of Baltimore, both living and dead, as have been identified with promi-
nent parts of the city's history ; have had an important share in her material
or moral development ; or whose enterprise, ability and worth have entitled
them to horn de recognition. Besides the interest that the lives of such men

4 PREFACE.

must, of necessity, have for their fellow-citizens, there are embodied in these
sketches many interesting facts and much valuable information, not otherwise
known to the public, so that they form an important supplement to the His-
torical Sketch. That there are some distinguished citizens of Baltimore, of the
past and present generation, whose names do not appear in the series of Biog-
raphies, we do not deny ; but we have striven, assiduously and conscientiously,
to make the omissions as few as possible. In preparing the Biographies, we
have been kindly assisted by several of the most prominent literateurs of the
city.

Thus, after many months of incessant and arduous effort, we have succeeded
in producing a work, the subject of which, as well as its unique character,
entitle it to a place in the library of every Baltimorean, and of every one who
is connected with Baltimore, by business or other associations, and consequently
interested in her history or welfare ; while the interesting nature of its contents
should assure it a welcome from the general public.

F. A. RICHARDSON,
W. A. BENNETT.

BALTIMOEE

AS IT WAS AND AS IT IS

A HISTORICAL SKETCH

ANCIENT TOWN AND MODERN CITY,

FROM THE FOUNDATION, IN 1729, TO 1870;

COMPILED AND WRITTEN FROM AUTHENTIC MATERIALS,

BRAKTZ MATEE.

BALTIMORE:

FROM THE FOUNDING OF THE TOWN TO THE REVOLUTION, 1729 TO 1776.

When Sir George Calvert turned his back on the Province of
Avalon, in Xew Foundland, which his royal master, James the
First, had granted to him, it was mainly because the region was
unsuited to his schemes, and not because he abandoned his original
views or principles of Colonization. He was, in truth, disheartened
as a Northern adventurer, for, though he built an expensive residence
in the colony, spent quite £25,000 in improvements, removed his
family to the principality, manned and equipped ships at his own
charge to guard the British fisheries from the French, he found that
the sour climate and ungenerous soil made no returns or inducements
for such an emigration and plantation as he desired.

But Sir George did not turn his back on America. In 1629 he
went to Virginia, in which he had been interested, and, — though
ungenerously received by the Protestant royalists at the seat of gov-
ernment,— when he left the James River he steered his vessel around
the peninsula of Old Point Comfort, and ascending the broad Chesa-
peake, entered its grand tributaries, explored its lands, approved
its genial climate, and, at least in imagination, laid the foundations
of this State. He soon returned to England, and in 1632 obtained
from Charles the First, — who had succeeded his early friend and
patron James, — the grant of Maryland, whose charter is, on excellent
authority, asserted and believed to have been the work of Sir George's
head and hand. Yet this charter did not pass the seals until after
the death of its experienced author, but was issued in June, 1632, to
his eldest son and heir Cecilius, so that the real work of plantation
was the task of the Second Lord Baron of Baltimore, and of his
brother, Leonard Calvert, who, in the following year sailed for
America, to make a colonial settlement at Saint Mary's on the
Potomac.

Yet, whatever was done in furtherance of human interests or rights,
so far as the foundation of Maryland was concerned, may justly be

10 HISTORICAL SKETCH

said to have been effected by the constitutional provisions of the
charter itself, which, investing the Lord Proprietary with the royal
prerogatives enjoyed by the Bishop of Durham within the Palatinate
of Durham, made him a sovereign prince with but two limitations
of his authority, namely : First, That the laws were to be enacted
by the Proprietary with the advice and approbation of the freemen
and freeholders or their deputies ; and secondly, That no interpreta-
tion of the charter was to be made whereby God's Holy Rights and
the Christian Religion, or the allegiance due to the Sovereign of
England, " may, in anywise, suffer by change, prejudice or diminu-
tion." Thus, although the yronosal of all laws was to emanate from
the Proprietary, their enactment was, in reality, to be due to the free-
men of the Province, while Christianity was to be acknowledged as
the only religious limitation on the rights of conscience. So that,
while Religious Toleration, as we understand the word, was then
practically unknown in the Old World, the founders of Maryland, —
counselled both by the experience of personal persecution, and prob-
ably by righteous individual opinion, — determined to adopt it as the
keystone of what became the first Province of the British Empire.
And so the foundations of Maryland were laid, in February, 1684, by
Leonard Calvert and the two hundred who accompanied him, at
" Saint Marie's," on the north bank of the Potomac, near its entrance
into the Chesapeake Bay.

The task we have undertaken does not allow a longer sketch of the
early history of our State ; but this brief allusion to the principles
upon which it was " founded " two hundred and thirty-eight years
ago, is due to the memory of the Baltimores, whose name is honor-
ably perpetuated in our capital city.

There seems to have been, during the seventeenth century, an ex-
traordinary greediness for the establishment of towns by our legisla-
tive ancestors, as our statutes show, that within four years towards
the close of that period, "thirty-three towns were created by the
Assembly," no less than three of which were within the limits of
what was then known as " Baltimore County." This was indeed
natural ; for, in a sparsely settled country, — threaded as Maryland is
by numerous streams, — points of assemblage and delivery, as well as
of exchange of products, are of indispensable need for agriculturists
and for those who ply the water-craft of the region. The making
and unmaking of these towns, which were, in fact, to be ports or
" places of landing" exclusively, was attended with as little difficulty
as with few permanent or useful results. Doubtless, in most cases,

OF BALTIMORE. 11

they were but temporary, and intended for trial only. Yet, this
lavish local legislation, — from the distracting rivalries it created, —
was much to be regretted in regard to the final settlement and found-
ing of Baltimore. Two towns long held the ascendency over all
these paper and prospective speculations within our territory ; — first:
Saint Mary's, which was the original capital of the province, where
the first Legislative Assembly was held, on the 26th of February,
1634-5 (old style), — under the auspices of the Roman Catholic
founders ; — and, secondly, Annapolis, settled by the Puritan refugees
from Virginia, who seated themselves at a place by some called
"Providence," — by others, "Proctor's or the town-land at Severn," —
by others, again, " The Town-Land of Proctor's where the town
was formerly," — by other annalists, "Anne Arundel Town," then,
" The Port of Annapolis,"— and finally, in 1708, by charter, " The
City of Annapolis," which soon became and has continued to be the
seat of our Provincial and State governments.

In founding new States in countries still unredeemed from the
forest, it is easy to understand that far-seeing men, — especially in the
distant days when steam and railways were unimagined, — would
seek the establishment of wisely seated and well defended trading
ports, at the head of streams navigable by the largest vessels used
for commerce. Although our forefathers two centuries ago were
not consumed by the land-mania of their descendants which urges
them to seize and own, — if not actually to possess, — the title to
regions that may not be developed or even occupied in their day and
generation, it is not to be supposed that the sailors and traders who
explored the upper Chesapeake did not observe the advantages of a
port at the end of our main water course, whose channel for sea-going
craft penetrates the continent two hundred miles from the ocean.
Accordingly, it is not surprising, — when they descried the Patapsco,
with an extent of only eighteen or twenty miles from the bay ; with
its safe, land-locked, north-branch of a mile and three-quarters in
extent ; with easy entrance and safe anchorage in deep water ;
capable of accommodating ships of the largest class to the number
of two thousand ; surrounded by gentle acclivities affording a fair
site for a city ; — that a few provident men fixed on it as the future
commercial capital of the future State. It is perhaps more surpris-
ing that they did not descry these advantages sooner, and it is only
to be ascribed to the scantiness of population and labor that they
were not earlier embraced. The " back country " and the adjoining
States were not yet sufficiently developed ; yet, doubtless, other ex-
plorers,— " pioneers " of the forest who penetrated the mountain

12 HISTORICAL SKETCH

country, — knew the connection between these " head waters " and
those of the great navigable streams of the west ; — but the whole
land was then so comparatively bare of people and undeveloped, that
men rather clustered about the older settlements, — keeping aloof
from the " savages " and the rough frontier men. Besides this, it
would, unquestionably, have required more imagination than the
early adventurers possessed, and certainly more hope of advantageous
realization, in men of their time and class, to have induced them to
expend labor and money in rapidly developing the problematical
seat of a commercial capital. ]STay, indeed, their time is, in no way,
to be measured by ours. Yet, the mere selection and establishment
of the future site of our great city, so early in the history of this
State's growth, indicates a commendable foresight in our handful
of forefathers who dwelt in this neighborhood and tilled or traded as
their interests required.

. What did these forefathers find to tempt them ? "We have described
the water course leading to the site, its extent and qualities. The
bay and its upper rivers are unsurpassed in value on the eastern coast
of North America ; while its lower and middle afnuents ' pour into
its broad channel the agricultural and mineral wealth of the State,
affording, also, supplies to the fishermen, which, economically used,
might enrich a nation. The geological features of the country around
the western head waters of the Chesapeake were peculiarly favorable
for the attainment and use of water power. The streams running
into the bay, as we have said, are numerous ; the alluvial soil on its
margin is so narrow that the tide- water almost washes the base of the
hilly formation ; the country gradually rises to an elevation of several
hundred feet in successive ridges towards the interior, down which
the waters are precipitated in their progress to the bay. So remark-
ably is this the case in the neighborhood of the site of Baltimore,
that five of the principal streams were by the first settlers denomi-
nated " Falls ;" and no less than eight streams, each of which is
capable of mechanical use, discharge themselves within a short dis-
tance of the modern city. With these advantages the harbor of
Baltimore originally consisted of a beautiful natural basin, or rather
of three adjoining basins, of several miles in circumference, the en-
trance to which was formed by two projecting points not more than
four hundred yards apart. It had then an ample depth of water
throughout and even quite close to the shores, so that in the early
days, ships were loaded on skids from the beach ; nor was this admir-
able harbor impaired until long after, when the neighboring soil
was broken in building on the borders, when the forest was cleared

OF BALTIMORE. 13

away and the land turned into arable fields ; so that as the town be-
gan to grow, and the trees which surrounded these basins on all sides
were cut down, and streets and roads opened to their margins, the
drainage from the hills began to fill them up and diminish their
depth. But the changes of this portion of Baltimore will be more
fully set forth in another part of this narrative, we shall at present
confine ourselves to the original legislation and actual location of
the " Town" itself.

Baltimore, is in fact a congeries of three towns : " Baltimore Town,"
which originally embraced a small tract on the west side of Jones's
Falls ; " Old Town," which was early and separately settled on the
east side of those falls ; and " Fell's Point," which grew up to the
southeast of that stream on the outer basin. As early as 1662 lands
were taken up in this vicinity ; and " Whetstone Point," between
the branches of the Patapsco, seems to have been at first most
attractive ; for, in that year Charles Gorsuch, a member of the
Society of Friends, patented fifty acres of land on that point. The
year after, Alexander Mountenay, took up two hundred acres, com-
prising what was then the glade or bottom on both sides of Harford
Run. This was called "Mountenay's Neck." In 1668, Mr. John
Howard patented "Timber Neck," lying between the middle and
north. branches of the Patapsco ; and in the same year, the tract north
of it, — the real site of the first " Baltimore Town," — was granted to
Mr. Thomas Cole, comprising five hundred and fifty acres, and called
" Cole's Harbor." This tract extended from "Mountenay's Xeck,"
westerly, across the north side of the river one mile, and northwardly
from the river about half a mile, in the form of a rhomboid, divided
into two nearly equal parts by the stream afterwards named Jones's
Falls. There were patents of subsequent date for tracts distinguished
on the old maps by the names of Long Island Point ; Kemp's Addi-
tion, Parker's Haven and Copus's Harbor, — the latter since com-
monly known as " Fell's Point," — and all on the east. Other
patents were issued for Lunn's Lot and Chatsworth on the west ;
and for Salisbury Plains, Darby Hall, and Gallow-Barrow, on the
north. All of these lands, by various names and titles, subse-
quently fell within the growing limits of Baltimore.

The families of Cole and Gorsuch intermarried, — Cole's only
daughter becoming the wife of Mr. Charles Gorsuch, the patentee ot
Whetstone Point, — on which Fort McHenry stands, — so that in 1679
and 1682, the husband and wife, by separate deeds, conveyed the
tract called Cole's Harbor to Mr. David Jones who gave his name to
the stream, so often mentioned, and by its repeated overflows, of such

14 HISTORICAL SKETCH

troublesome interest to Baltimoreans of the present day. Jones is
said to have been the first actual settler, having his residence on the
north side of his " Falls," near the head of the tide-water at that
day,* and when the stream was passable without a bridge.

In the course of time " Cole's Harbor " came into the possession of the
step-son of David Jones, — James Todd, — who having intermarried,
it is said, with the daughter of Mountenay, absorbed also the tract
of " Mountenay's Neck." The first named tract was resurveyed for
Mr. Todd who re-patented it as " Todd's Range," of five hundred and
ten acres ; and in the year 1702, Mr. Todd and his wife jointly con-
veyed one hundred and thirty-five and a half acres of " Mountenay's
Neck," and one hundred and sixty-four and a half acres of " Cole's
Harbor " to John Hurst who kept an inn near Jones's dwelling, and
also conveyed the remainder of the Harbor to Charles Carroll, agent
of the Proprietary. Immediately after completing • his purchase,
Hurst mortgaged three hundred acres of the two tracts to Captain
Richard Colegate, one of the County Commissioners, who lived on
" Colegate's Creek," below the north branch of the Patapsco. In
1711, Mr. Carroll sold thirty-one acres of Cole's Harbor, with a
" mill seat," to Mr. John Hanson, a millwright, who built the mill, the
remains of which still stood, in 1825, near the northwest intersection
of Bath and Holliday streets. In 1726, a Quaker, from Lancashire,
England, who had settled east of Jones's Falls, took out an escheat
warrant and employed Richard Gist to survey Cole's Harbor or
Todd's Range, and in the succeeding year purchased the rights in it
of John Gorsuch, son of Charles. But this stirred the sons of
Charles Carroll, then lately dead, who entered a caveat and pre-
vented the new grant sought for by the enterprising land-hunter
from Lancashire. Gist's return of the survey is interesting as show-
ing that, in 1726, the sole improvements in that part of modern Bal-
timore were three dwellings, a mill, tobacco houses and orchards, —
and that the land was about " one half cleared and of middling
quality."

From Mr. Bacon's collection of the Laws of Maryland, it appears
that an act, passed as early as 1663, "for seating of lands in Baltimore
County," was rejected by the Proprietary. Twenty years later, in
1683, several towns or " ports of trade " were created by Acts of As-
sembly, in " Baltimore County," — whose limits, at that time, are be-
lieved to have included all the lands within the Province north of
Anne Arundel, on the west of the bay, comprising even Cecil, be-

* The tide, at that time, is reported as flowing up as high as the head of High
street.

OF BALTIMORE. 15

yond Elk River. The lines of Anne Arundel, in 1698, were the
highlands of Magothy to Patuxent River ; while Baltimore County
was bounded westwardly by that county or by Charles, until Prince
George's, which then included Prince Frederick's, was laid off, in 1695.

In compliance with this Act of 1688, towns or ports of trade were
laid off in this " Baltimore County," on Patapsco, near " Humphry's
Creek," and on " Bush River," on the " town land near the Court
House." The next year another town was laid out on " Middle
River ;" and two years later another was seated on " Spesutie Creek,"
and another on " Gunpowder," at " West Bury's Point ;" while the
site of town on Middle River was suspended. After this there was
a long lull in the creation of towns in Baltimore County, and it was
not until 1706, that " Whetstone Point," — the original favorite
among locators of land in this vicinity, — was made a "town ;" while
the " town where the Old Court House " existed, was discontinued,
and a new Court House directed to be built at a spot "on Gun-
powder," designated as " Tajdor's Choice," which was erected into
another town. The acts making these numerous civic creations
being rejected or repealed by the authorities, — when William and
Mary assumed the government of the Province for the crown, in
1689, it became necessary to confirm rights acquired under the abro-
gated laws. This was done in 1712, as to the designated "Court
House ;" to which the seat of justice being removed, the town was
called Joppa, and continued to be the County town for more than
fifty years.

The royal government, in all likelihood, was not as beneficial to
Maryland as the Proprietary had been ; for the governors selected by
the Proprietary and his Lordship himself had been generally careful
of their people as well as the Province, so that while the wild legis-
lation for acts of settlement was permitted by the sovereigns, private
interests of various landholders were allowed to prevail rather than
considerations of general welfare. The towns were, indeed, actually
injured by their unnecessary number, being, in fact, so many rivals
of each other in the race of prosperous location on the upper streams
of Maryland.

Meanwhile the commerce of the bay and river was growing ; and,
— as the most convenient converging point, at that time, for all sec-
tions bordering on or communicating with the great streams, —
"North Point" was agreed on as the common resort and anchorage
of vessels for loading and distribution. There were but three custom
house districts on both shores of the bay. St. Mary's, St. George's
and Annapolis being those on the western. Naval officers or Tide

16 HISTORICAL SKETCH

"Waiters, however, were stationed at any trade ports where the land-
ing or shipping of merchandise was allowed, but as, agriculture
increased, and commerce augmented with it and with population, the
trade gradually crept northerly. It was found to he the interests of
owners and shippers to bring their craft into our river, though not
immediately to the head of it, Thus, in 1723, there were but " five
ships in Patapsco up for freight ;" and persons still lived to within
the last twenty years who have seen as many vessels of burthen
anchored at the same time at the point between the south and mid-
dle branches of the Patapsco, as in the north branch on which our
city was finally established. The writer distinctly remembers being
pointed to the spot, near the viaduct of the railway to Washington,
close to the "Relay House" at "Elk Ridge Landing," (nine miles
from the present Baltimore City,) where his companion had often
loaded vessels of over two hundred tons burthen with tobacco, that
had been rolled down to the landing by the " rolling-road," which is
still recognized by that name in the neighborhood.

To the point between the south and middle branches, the main
road from the west and through the country generally was directed,
passing south of Gwynn's Palls, at the mouth of which once stood
Tasker & Carroll's Furnace of the " Baltimore Company." This
point, the terminus of such a road, and with such an anchorage for
commerce, was, of course, one of vast importance in " seating coun-
ties" and establishing a future metropolis; but it is a singular fact
in the history of cities that the proprietor of the point, — Mr. John
Moale, — a merchant from Devonshire, in England, preferred the
present profitable devotion of the neighboring lands which he owned
to trade and iron mining, than to adventuring them in speculation
as " town lots" in futurity 1*

* It is probable tliat the original locators of Baltimore Town were decidedly in
favor of adopting Mr. Moale' s Point as the site of the fixture metropolis, and were
only prevented by the resolute hostility of the proprietor. Moale's Point and its
neighborhood would have been free from the difficulties of drainage experienced by
us from Liberty and Charles streets; from Chatsworth Run; from Jones's Falls;
and from Harford Run. Even in those days, the alluvion of Jones's Falls, spread-
in- from its shore, eastward, towards Harford Pun, and to the limits of South
Btreet westwardly, already limited the channel of the Patapsco on its northern side,
and formed some islands, which by repeated overflows finally became fast land.
The lines of the streets as originally laid out, running from, north to south, nowhere
reached the ahsolute shore. Calvert street seems to have communicated with it;
While Forrest street (now Charles) terminated at ''Uhlcr's Spring Branch," which
was then near the site of Uhler's alley. The original site of Baltimore was broken
by marshes and water-COUrses, and surrounded by hills; the filling up and leveling
of which— together with the expensive Hoods of the "Falls" — sufficiently vindicate
the favor shown at first to Moale's Point.

OF BALTIMORE. 17

It was about this time that the site of Baltimore was to be decided.
Many persons fixed their eyes on this accessible and convenient
" Moale's Point," as the most eligible situation. Accordingly, appli-
cation was made to the owner for ground upon which to lay out a
town ; and tradition says that the people went so far as to introduce
a bill into the Legislature for the establishment of a town on his
property. But, Mr. Moale was a member of that Assembly, and
believing less in the success of the enterprise than in his ores and in-
dustry, he not only rejected the personal application for the sale of
any part of his land, but defeated the measure in the General As-
sembly, thus making it necessary for the adventurers to seek another
location. The die was thus cast; and when in 1729, the "Act for
erecting a town on the north side of Patapsco, in Baltimore County,
and for laying out into lots sixty acres of land in and about the
place where one John Flemming now lives," was passed, — it was the
" head of the North Branch that was promptly selected by the lead-
ing men of " Baltimore County " who had appealed to the Legisla-
ture for a town.

The John Flemming alluded to in the Act was a tenant of Mr.
Carroll, residing in a " quarter " house then standing on the bank of
" Uhler's Run," about the present intersection of Lombard and
Charles streets. The Act of Assembly empowered Baltimore to be a
privileged place of landing, loading, and selling or exchanging
goods, and Major Thomas Talley, William Hamilton, Esq., William
Buckner, Esq., Dr. George Walker, Richard Gist, Esq., Dr. George
Buchanan, and Colonel William Hammond, all of whom, except Dr.
Walker, were justices of the county, were appointed Commissioners
to carry it into effect. They were all men of substance and stand-
ing in the province, mostly landholders ; and one of them, Dr.
Walker, was afterwards proprietor of that charming seat on the
western side of the present city, formerly known as " Chatsworth,"
the superb grounds of which are now all covered with modern
improvements, save the gardens and enclosures occupied at present
by Mr. Daniel B. Banks on Franklin street.

The tax-payers on the millions of real estate comprised within the
same limits to-day, may be a little astonished to know that on the
1st of December, 1729, these worthy Commissioners, — the Fathers of
our city, whose names deserve most respectful record and remem-
brance,— bought of the Messieurs Carroll, the tract of sixty acres,
authorized by law, for forty shillings per acre, in money or in tobacco, —
(which was a Maryland currency) — at one penny per pound ; — not
quite six hundred dollars in the coin of our country ! Let us, also,

18 HISTORICAL SKETCH

record permanently in this volume the original limits of this cheaply
purchased city, which on the 12th of January, 1730, — (new style) —
the County Surveyor, Mr. Philip Jones, laid off legally as follows :
Beginning at a point near the northeast intersection of what are now
called Pratt and Light streets, and running northwestwardly along
Uhler's alley, towards what was then a " great eastern road " and " a
great gully " or drain, at or near Sharp street, thence across the
present Baltimore street, east of the gully, northeasterly with the
road, which is now McClellan's alley, to a " precipice which over-
hung the falls," at or near the southwest corner of Saratoga street
and St. Paul street ; then, with the bank of Jones's Falls, (which then
swept up to the last named corner,) southwardly and eastwardly,
various courses, unto the low grounds which lay ten perches west of
Gay street, — then due south along the margin of these low lands to
the bank on the north side of the river (which then came up to near
the present Custom House and Post Office building) — and then, by
the river bank, westwardly and southwardly to the place of begin-
ning. This rough surface of soil, and drains, and gullies, — cheaply
purchased probably by the Commissioners as only fit for a town and
not for a farm, — was then cut in its centre from due east to west, that
is, from about McClellan's alley to the swamp which edged Jones's
Falls at Frederick street, — by Long street, — afterwards Marker, and
now Baltimore street. Long street was intersected at right angles
by Charles street. There were also nine lanes, called East, South,
Second, Light, Hanover and Belvidere, Lovely, St. Paul's and Ger-
man. The six first named of these lanes were in the course of
time increased in width and raised to the dignity of streets. The
lots, of about an acre each, were numbered from one to sixty, com-
mencing on the north side of Long (Baltimore) street, and running,
first, westwardly, exhausting the northern acres, then returning
eastwardly on the southern side of the street, until all the lots
were apportioned. Number " one," we judge from old maps, was
situated between the present Gay and South streets, probably east
of Holliday.

The site of Baltimore was so completely only a great business lo-
cation for the future — (as time has indeed proved) — and so cut up
with hills, water courses, drains, and swamp land, that it did not
attract a rush of " takers " when the office was open for purchasers
of lots on the 14th of January, 1730, and several following days.
"Improvements" were required of the buyers, and not the least
charge to the purchaser was the " house, covering at least four hun-
dred square feet," which he was required to build within eighteen

OF BALTIMORE. 19

months from date of "taking up." A list, — the original one, — of
the " Entries of Purchasers of Baltimore Town-lots," is still preserved
in the Register's office of our city, and they who are curious in such
matters may not be surprised to know that the two lots first selected
were number 49 by Mr. Charles Carroll, at the southeast corner of
Calvert street and the Basin, which then extended far up the street,
and number 37 at the then intersection of Charles street and the
Basin. But the takers were not immediately greedy, though in a
few years the whole land was absorbed, and applications were made
for the lots forfeited by delinquents. Still, as yet there was nothing
to invite extravagance in city building or improvements by extend-
ing streets, building bridges, leveling hills and filling marshes ; all
of which tasks have fallen on the successors of the first enterprise.

Thus the first " Baltimore Town " was laid out and disposed of,
but it was as we see a small affair of sixty rough acres, comprised
within the westernmost Basin of the Patapsco on the south, the chalk
hills of Charles and Saratoga streets on the north, the deep drain and
gully which swept down about the present course of Liberty street
and McClellan's alley on the west, and on the east by the big swamp,
which bordering Jones's Falls, ran up by its western flank as far on
the present Frederick street as Saratoga or Bath streets. Jones's
Falls, — the absolute easternmost limit, swept round, in a deep horse-
shoe bend, a couple of squares above our Gay street bridge, the
curve of the horse-shoe penetrating as far as the corner of Calvert
and Lexington streets, and thence going northeastwardly along the
line of Calvert.

But the limits of the town were in fifteen or twenty years enlarged
by additions. In 1730, a ship carpenter, William Fell, brother of
Edward who settled east of Jones's Falls in 1726, bought the tract,
before mentioned by us, called Copus's Harbor, and built a mansion
there, on the present Lancaster street ; so that the subsequent im-
provements and disposition of the property have resulted in what
still bears the name of " Fell's Point." In 1732, another town across
Jones's Falls, immediately opposite to Baltimore Town, was erected
on ten acres, laid off in twenty lots, valued at one hundred and fifty
pounds of tobacco each, and located on that part of Cole's Harbor
settled by Mr. Edward Fell. This was called "Jones-Town" and
consisted of three streets ; — Front, Short and Jones — on the last of
which at the southwest corner of Bridge or Gay street extended
over the falls, stood a store kept by Mr. Fell ; and, as a settlement
in this district had been made before the laying out of Baltimore
Town, the location, after awhile, took and has ever since retained

20 HISTORICAL SKETCH

the name of " Old Town." Thus, in these three locations, we have
the absolute nucleus of our present city, though it was not until 1745,
that " Jones " and " Baltimore " towns, were amalgamated into one,
with the name of the latter, and commissioners appointed to carry
the union and administration into effect. Yet, strange to say, there
was still a gap in the centre of the settlement until 1747, when Mr.
Harrison bought for £160, from Mr. Carroll, the whole land and
marsh, comprising twenty-eight acres, which lay between the limits
of the original Baltimore Town on the east and the western bank of
Jones's Falls ; — and, at the next session of the Legislature, obtained
an Act by which Gay, Frederick, and parts of Water and Second
streets were laid off with eighteen acres of ground. It was not until
1750, that High street, from Ploughman to French, with eighteen
acres, was added to the town ; nor until 1773, that Ploughman's,
Philpot's, and Fell's lands were annexed to the extent of eight acres,
— while the eighteen acres between Bridge (now Gfay) and Front
streets, which Messrs. Moale and Steiger were authorized by the
same Legislature to add to the town, were in fact not joined to it
until eight years afterwards, about 1751.

The communication between the first towns and their additions,
east of the Falls, was of course vastly obstructed by the wide marsh
which bounded the stream and which with the extent northwardly,
already mentioned, — spread westward from the margin of the Falls to
the present Frederick street. What is now Harrison street, from its
head at Gay street to the Patapsco, was a swamp, — the resort of sports-
men for snipe and woodcock, — and so, indeed, the lower part of it,
below the present Maryland Institute and market, continued until
near the beginning of this century. The communication, therefore,
between Baltimore Town proper, and its adjunct, Jones-Town, was
inconvenient and sometimes dangerous; effected only by a ford
which (hen existed somewhere between the limits of Gay and Sara-
toga si reds as they are now laid down. Accordingly, a bridge was
shortly erected, by the respective inhabitants of the towns, at the
place where Gay street bridge now stands, so that the townfolk and
travelers, who, if they did not choose, in the unoccupied and unbuilt
condition of the land at that early day, to follow the pathway or road
thai was dignified by the name of" Long street," and flounder through
the swamp and swim the Falls if it happened to be high, might con-
veniently cross the open lots, north of the highway, and pass to Jones-
Town by this permanent viaduct, which, doubtless, contributed to
the lnjlshilirr union of the two (owns of "Baltimore" and u Jones,"
in L745, under the name of" l>Ai/i'iMOitE," as we have already stated.

OF BALTIMORE. 21

About the year 1734, a town was laid out at " Elk Ridge Land-
ing,"— near the present Relay House, on the Baltimore and Ohio
Railroad, from which country produce, — especially tobacco, — was
for many years afterwards brought to ships anchored off Moale's
Point, where the originators of Baltimore-Town had been so anxious
in 1729 to found their settlement. Indeed, Joppa, the " Baltimore
County " seat, and " Elk Ridge Landing,"* were, in those days, rivals
of Baltimore-Town ; but our ancestors having secured their wisely
chosen site at the absolute top of bay and river navigation, proceeded
bravely to do their best in the way of advancing its fortunes. It is
stated, — although the exports to Great Britain about this period —
(1731) — from the two colonies of Maryland and Virginia, — which are
said to have been then nearly equal in wealth and white population,
— amounted to about sixty thousand hogsheads of tobacco and over
twenty-one thousand pounds sterling in skins and lumber — -employ-
ing twenty-four thousand tons of shipping,— that great depression
was experienced throughout the province ; and, in fact, that the low
price of the staple product, — tobacco, — caused local insurrections and
the destruction of many fields of the narcotic plant. The emission
of bills of credit as a substitute for a currency, — as had been already
done in other colonies, — produced a favorable change, and improve-
ments soon began to be made by the adventurers of our future me-
tropolis. Like worthy burghers, they did not forget their religious
duties or allegiance to the Church of England ; so that the first
church built in Baltimore-Town was St. Paul's, — on lot Xo. 19 of the
original town plat, — being the most elevated ground of the town, and
part of the property on which the present edifice of the same name
is erected, — its predecessor, alas ! was but a sorry, barn-like, temple !
The church, indeed, was not finished until 1744 ; nor have we, until
the year 1758, any information of other churches or places of worship,
except those of the Society of Friends, of whom a large portion of
the first settlers of Baltimore undoubtedly consisted. The original
" Quaker-meeting" in this vicinity was called " Patapsco," and was
held at a house which stood on the site of the Quaker burying ground
on the Harford turnpike, the ground for which was given by Joseph
Taylor. This meeting is first mentioned in the old manuscripts of
the Society in 1703, when it was probably held in a private house ;
but it is certain that Mr. John Giles — the first of that family whose
members have since occupied high positions in our State, settled near

* In 1683 an Assembly was held at "t7ie Ridge''' in Anne Arundel County- (Elk
Ridge Landing) — at which the first Act was passed for "laying out of towns," en-
titled "An Act for the Advancement of Trade."
3

22 HISTORICAL SKETCH

the present site of Baltimore, about the beginning of the eighteenth
century, and that at his house the Friends or Quakers held their
meetings.

The writer of this sketch secured from the late Colonel Samuel
Moale, of Baltimore, a rough but undoubtedly authentic picture,
drawn in 1752 by his father John Moale, of Baltimore-Town, as it
then appeared from the heights of " Federal Hill," south of the Basin.
It has been placed, very properly, by Colonel Moale's direction in
the collections of the Maryland Historical Societ}T, in its building in
Baltimore, and will unquestionably be sacredly kept by the officers
of that institution as the most valuable memorial of their city, —
rudely but graphically displaying to their descendants the appear-
ance and growth of it in the course of twenty-three years from its
founding. This sketch was the basis of the engraved picture of Bal-
timore in 1752, published many years ago by the late Edward J.
Coale, with additional matter furnished by Mr. Bowly, filling up
with some details much of the space left bare by Air. Moale in his
original and homely draft.

In this original sketch we have Baltimore as it appeared one hun-
dred and nineteen years ago to a townsman, who evidently intended
his picture as an affidavit rather than a work of art or imagination.
The twenty-three years of growth had furnished but twenty-five
houses — a fraction over one a year; so that, allowing ten inhabitants
to each one of twenty houses, the population had grown to two hun-
dred. It should be stated, however, that Mr. Moale's drawing does
not embrace the scenery and improvements east of the Falls, while
the houses delineated are thinly sprinkled over a broken hill-side
sloping to the Basin, with St. Paul's Church crowning the top of the
eminence. Mr. Bowly, in his improved picture, as published, has
garnished the lower margin of the Basin, where it receives the Falls,
with a flourishing; field of cabbage or tobacco plants. We can recog-
nize Calvert and Light streets, on the former of which we distinguish
I lie brick building, which until twenty years ago, stood at the earner
of Bank or Mercer street, and was known as Payne's Tavern — the
scene of much revelry in early days, and containing the rather 1 'united
ball-room, in which many of the Baltimore belles of the ancient time
have recounted to us their minuets with the French officers during
the Revolutionary war, and their cotillions with General AVashing-
ton alter the war was over. Further on, along the route of Mercer
street, we think we discern Lt Kaminsky's," part of which still stands,
a pari being this year, — Anno Domini 1870, — torn down to make
way for the improvements caused by the destruction of the old, his-

OF BALTIMORE. 23

toric, :' Fountain Inn," in which Washington's apartment was still
known and shown until the building was destroyed. In 1752, Payne
had a rival publican and boniface, in Rogers, who kept tavern at the
corner of Long or Market ami Calvert streets. There were three
other brick houses in the village, one of which stood about the site
of Barnum's Hotel, and was the dwelling of Mr. Edward Fotterall,*
—two stories high, with free-stone corners ; — the first house, — Bay
the Chroniclers, — built kW without a hip-roof," — the predecessor of the
fashionable " Mansard" The bricks for all these houses were im-
ported from England, — doubtless as ballast for the tobacco ships, —
for our agricultural ancestors had not yet learned that they were
living on clay-lands which were to produce for their descendants the
best bricks in the world. Mr. Moale terminates his sketch, at the
bottom by a rough and bare margin, which we may suppose he in-
tended as the limit of the Basin, but Mr. Bowly certifies our conjec-
ture by delineating the water-courses of that spot, and anchors at its
landing the brig " Philip and Charles/' belonging to Mr. Rogers,
and the sloop " Baltimore," the property of Mr. Lux. Such is an
inventory of Baltimore-Town in the year 1752 : — Twenty-five houses,
one of which is a church, — -and two taverns ; — four of these edifices
built of brick, one being of two stories and without a hip-roof; — two
hundred men, women, children, slaves and servants, to occupy the
buildings ; — and lastly, for the present navigation of the settlement,
— one sloop and one brig, both owned in the town. It may help
our imagination of the village and its belongings, if we recount that,
a Mr. James Gardner kept school at the corner of the present South
and Water streets, but that he did not completely fill the wants
of the community, for the Annapolis newspaper — the Maryland
Gazette, — announces that a " schoolmaster of sober character, who
understands teaching English, writing and arithmetic, will meet
with good encouragement from the inhabitants of Baltimore-Town,
if well recommended. "f The mind was fed, but there was, as yet,

* Fotterall went to Ireland, the place of his birth, at the Revolution, being piob-
ably a loyalist. At all events, it is recorded that his houses were pulled down, all
his property being confiscated and sold.

f The following list of well-known Inhabitants op Baltimore-Town in 17">2,
is from a paper in possession of the late Joseph Townsend, who had it many
years before his death from one of the early settlers, who was cognizant of the facts
stated :

•Capt. Lucas, Win. Rogers, Nich. Rogers, Dr. Wm. Lyon, Thomas Harrison,
Alex. Lawson, Bryan Philpot, Nick Ruxton Gay, James Carey (inn keeper), Parson
Chase, Mr. Paine, Chris. Carnan, Dame Hughes (the only midwife among English
folk,) Chs. Coustable, Mr. Ferguson, Mr. Goldsmith, Mr. Juo. Moore, Mr. Shep-
hard (tailor), Bill Adams (barber), Geo. Strebeck (only wagoner) drove a single

24 HISTORICAL SKETCH

no Market House for the creature comforts of the villagers, who
probably relied independently on the vegetables, fruit, poultry and
pork, raised by their own industry within the bounds of their lots.
But one was, nevertheless, soon set on foot, and, not long afterwards,
erected by subscription at the northwest corner of Market and Gay
streets, with a large room above it, for popular assemblages, balls and
amusements suitable to a rather demure population. Having a mar-
ket house, five or six dozen houses, and a church to protect, — a fire
department became necessary ; so that every householder, under a
penalty of ten shillings of the realm, was required to " keep a lad-
der" to be used in case of fire : while an equal sum was imposed, as
fine, if he allowed his chimney to blaze in the midst of so inflamma-
ble a neighborhood. Large as the spaces were, and favorable as the
ground was for the culture of " porkers," — those pioneer scavengers
of infant cities were, — under adequate penalties, — inhibited from
roaming abroad, and confined to the enclosures of their owners.

Slow as seems to have been the growth, and unpromising the pros-
pects of Baltimore-Town, it is likely that the people " had faith " in
what they were about, for, in the very year of the completion of Mr.
Moale's sorry picture, thirty-two acres of " Cole's Harbor," which
Mr. Joshua Hall bought of Mr. Carroll, were added to the town,
comprising part of the tract which was between the town and the
lines of Lunn's lot at the south, northwest of the^ms^ town that was
laid out. This seems to include the land between McClellan's alley
and the present Liberty street, running round the western and nor-
thern limits of the original Baltimore-Town to the western side of the
Falls. The population of the County of Baltimore, at this time,
consisted of 2,692 white men, 3,115 white boys, 2,587 white women,
2,951 white girls, 595 servant men, 126 servant boys, 200 servant
women, 49 servant girls,* 470 men convicts, 6 boy convicts, 87 women

team, Jake Keeports (carpenter), Conrad Smith, Captain Dnnlop, Jack Crosby
(carpenter), Bob Lance (cooper), Philip Littig (whose wife was accoucheuse among
the German population), John Ward, Hilt Stranwich (laborer), Nancy Low, Mr.
Gwinn." The first female child born in Baltimore-Town was Ellen North, afterwards
Mrs. Ellen Moale, who lived to see Baltimore a city of nearly 80,000 inhabitants,
having had hardly more than 250 when she was born.

* Servants in Maryland, at that time, may properly he classed as the Redemp-
tioners provided for by Lord Baltimore in his original scheme of colonization, as
set forth in the " Relation of Maryland, 1635." Much of the early emigration to
Maryland was thus effected, the emigrant binding himself to five years in the Prov-
ince in consideration of his transportation thither at the cost of the co-contractor.
In 1688 the term of service was reduced hy Act of Assembly to four years. Where
these agreements were made with a merchant, ship owner or ship captain, these
indented servants or "Redemptioners," were sold at auction for their terms of four

OF BALTIMORE. 25

convicts, 6 girl convicts ; being 571 convicts, in all, designed for com-
pulsory labor in the county and sold for certain terms ; while there
were 116 mulatto slaves, 196 free mulattoes, 4,027 black slaves and 8
free blacks, — making a total population of 17,238, whereof eleven
thousand three hundred and forty-five occupied the position of master
or mistress, and four thousand eight hundred and ninety-three the
position of menials, — affording a servant for nearly every two.

The spirit of improvement, — co-operative or alone, — was not ade-
quate it seems to the wants of the stripling villagers, for in 1753, we
find the gambling spirit of mankind appealed to by the scheme of a
lottery, to raise four hundred and fifty " pieces of eight," — (as dollars
were called, from the eight reals that composed them,) — for the pur-
pose of building a public wharf. This indicates the increasing de-
mands of trade, and so do the draining of parts of the marsh, near the
Falls, by Mr. Steiger, as pasturage for his cattle, inasmuch as the town-
lots were beginning to be built over by the Larshes, the Luxes, the
Myers, the Goodwins, the Moales and the Carrolls. And thus gradu-
ally grew the town which soon needed protection, it was supposed,
from incursions of the western savages, who, it was alleged, after the
defeat of Braddock, in 1755, penetrated the country, past Forts
Frederick and Cumberland, and pushed their plundering and mur-
dering parties to within fifty miles of Baltimore. There is a tradi-
tion of this period, that the country people were once actually driven
into the town, and that the women and children were placed, for
safety, in the vessels in the harbor. An ancient original paper, before
us as we write, dated the 28th of January, 1748, is a subscription
list signed by some twenty-six of the principal burghers of Baltimore,
by which they pledge themselves respectively to pay five or ten shil-
lings each in order to " make good the fence of the said town and to
support a person to keep it in good order," in compliance with an Act
of Assembly, which prohibits the inhabitants " from keeping or rais-
ing hogs or geese therein." But the Indians were more dangerous
foes than the swine and poultry, and, accordingly, the town's people
met and resolved to raise a stouter defence for their safety, by the
erection of a palisade around the village, shutting out all ingress or
egress except by a gate on Market street near McClellan's alley, and
another on the upper part of Gay street near the bridge, while a smaller
aperture, for foot passengers, was cut in the circuit near the head

years, and at the end of then- term, they received one whole year's provision of corn
and fifty acres of land. These "servants " therefore are not to be confounded with
the negro slaves or the convicts, the latter of whom were also sold to labor for
terms.

26 HISTORIC A LS KETCH

of Charles street, which then was on the cliffs about Saratoga.*
Luckily the inhabitants were never indebted to their eircumvalla-
tion for guardianship, yet, if it did not save them from an enemy's
fire, it served them for domestic fuel. So that, in the course of two
or three rigorous winters, the logs gradually disappeared under the
nightly assaults of certain economical citizens who made themselves
comfortable b}T the blaze of the pilfered defences. Thus ended the
walls of our infant metropolis ; but the fright of the inhabitants,
in all likelihood, contributed to the growth of the town, as people
who were disposed to take up lands in the interior, remote from pro-
tection were deterred by the risk of savage raids, and threw their
capital, industry and enterprise into the young but promising mart.
It was about this time that Baltimore became the refuge of men
who had suffered from the real and not the imaginary dangers of
war. When the British took ]STova Scotia, — or, as it was otherwise
called, Acadia, in 1756, — many of the neutral French who were
forcibly deprived of their property and expelled, came to our town.
Some of them were received in private houses, while others were
quartered in Mr. Fotterall's dwelling, in which they, also, erected
a temporary chapel. Assisted by public levies, authorized, it is said,
by law, these industrious and frugal refugees, soon got possession of
much ground on South Charles street where they erected wooden
huts, from the trees cut in the neighborhood, which, in time, and
mostly by their own hands, were converted into substantial frame
or brick buildings. This foreign settlement became known as
"French Town," — a name it retained until very few years past. The
descendants of some of these Acadians still linger among us ; — and,
— although out of chronological order, — we may as well record that
Baltimore was still further indebted for a French population in the
year 1793, when the refugees from the insurrection at Cape Francois
came in the grand convoying fleet, principally to the Chesapeake.
About two thousand persons arrived in the first instance at Balti-
more, and about one thousand more in the following three months.
These were, mostly, people of wealth, who, in addition to their in-
dustry, brought with them in produce, specie and jewels, not less
than a million of dollars. Of these emigrants many were skilful

* The steepness oftlie.se "Cliffs" may be estimated from the great declivity
which still remains (1870) in the three squares on Saratoga street, between Charles
and Calvert Btreets, at the foot of which the " Falls" then flowed, and at times over-
flowed, the "Meadow.'" The writer well remembers the tops of those dill's, which,
crowned with old " Sim nth a," used still to peer up full twenty feel above the level
of the streets on the lots on the south side of Saratoga, between Charles and Liberty
streets.

OF BALTIMORE. 27

mechanics ; but the greater numbers were planters or agriculturists,
and hence the swarm of French gardeners which soon afterwards
stocked and attended our markets, and gave to Baltimore that re-
nown for the excellence of its garden vegetables, which it retains
to the present day. In this emigration the ratio of whites to negroes
was about two to one.

It was about 1754, that " Barrister" Carroll built the stately mansion

of " Mount Clare,"' still standing near the line of the Baltimore and

Ohio Railroad, in the western section of our city. The dimensions

and style of this establishment, — built, however, of imported bricks, —

attest the increasing importance of the settlement, and prepare us

for the steady changes winch occurred, — without any forcing or

speculative processes, — during the French and Indian wars, to the

beo'iimino- of the Revolutionary struo-ole. The town grew. Dwell-

ings, inns, tan yards, a pottery, rope walks, ship yards, wharves,

new tobacco inspections, a distillery, and an alms and work-house,

were erected, and markets regulated. Between 1750 and 1782 the

great and permanent additions of land to the original consolidated

Towns of " Baltimore " and " Jones's" were made, showing the need

of space for an increasing and industrious population. In 1750,

High street, from Plowman's to French, as we have said, was laid

off; — in 1765 the water lots on the "Point" had been taken up, —

and as the site was favorable for building and fitting vessels, — the

Point became a rival of the Town west of the Falls. This year Mr.

Cornelius Howard added thirty-five acres of Lunn's lot, including the

streets known as Conway and Barre", and running also thence between

the west side of Forrest street and the east side of Liberty street, to

Saratoga. This addition to the town was at once confirmed by law.

The next year a commission was authorized by the Assembly to

have the " marsh between the Falls and Frederick street " filled up ;

and in 1768, another law, which was soon carried into effect, decreed

the building of a Court House and Prison, on Calvert street, near

Jones's Falls. The fate of this edifice will be hereafter narrated.

In 1773, about eighty acres of Plowman's, Philpot's and Fell's

lands were added to the east of the town, and an "Alms House "

erected; while, after the revolution in 1781, "Fell's Prospect " was

laid off by Commissioners and joined to the town on the east, besides

the previously mentioned eighteen acres betwixt Bridge (now Cay)

street and French street, and in 1782 Colonel John Eager Howard

annexed to the town all his lands east of the street named by him

" Eutaw," in memory of his well-known battle-field. On Lexington

street he laid out a spacious lot for a market, (which was not

28 HISTORICAL SKETCH

improved until 1803 ;) — and, moreover, assigned a large property on
Market or Baltimore street, west of Eutaw, for the use of the State,
should the Assembly consent to make our town the Seat of Govern-
ment, within twenty years. But this liberal gift the Legislature re-
jected as often as it was proposed. In the fall of this same year, the
tracts known as " Gist's Inspection " and " Timber ]STeck," lying
south of former additions and upon the Middle Branch of the Pa-
tapsco, as well as the lands between " Fell's Prospect " and Harris's
Creek, were added to the town ; — all of which formed, with the first
settlements, the grounds which were to be covered by the future me-
tropolis. Although some of these additions were made subsequently
to the period of which we are treating, it has been thought proper to
group them in this place, as the best means of displaying the numer-
ous bits which gradually composed the Mosaic plat of " Baltimore."*
Thus, with population, land, buildings, wharves, distilleries, and
alms as well as work-houses, it will be seen that in the twenty years
between the date of Mr. Moale's unpicturesque sketch and the be-
ginning of the War of Independence, the town and county made
such advances in civilization, that it not only had a thrifty, laboring
population, but its "distilleries," and probably the permitted "direct
importation of Madeira wine," had helped to make some of those
paupers for whom its alms and work-house was erected. But, to com-
pensate for the decline of virtue among some classes, it must be re-
corded to the honor of the little town or village, that, about this
period (1770) forty-two merchants and traders of enterprise and
capital, and some very skilful mechanics, were added to the inhabi-
tants, who already employed eleven doctors to heal their bodies, and
nine lawyers to protect their purses and property. Beside this, the
Methodist Society, formed originally by the visits of the Wesleys in
1735 and Whitfield in 1740, — built in 1773 their first meeting-house,

* The following items, taken from an original bill for the " Funeral Expenses of a
gentleman in Baltimore-Town, in 1758," a re curiously indicative of manners and
expenses, then. Coffin, £G, lGs.; 41 yards crape, £7, 3s. 6d.; 32 yards black tif-
fany, £4, 10s.; 11 yards black crape, £1, 18s. 6d.; H yards broadcloth, £6, lis. and
3d.; 7£ yards of black shaloon, 19s. 3d.; 6i yards linen, £1, 13s.; 3 yards sheeting,
7s. 10d.; 3 dozen pairs men's black silk gloves, £5, 8s.; 2 dozen pairs women's do.,
£3, 12s.; G pairs men's black gloves, at 3 shillings, 18s.; 1 pair women's do., 3s.; then
there were black silk handkerchiefs ; 8^ yards calamanco, mohair, buckram ; 13£
yards ribbon ; 47i pounds loaf sugar ; 14 dozen eggs, 10 oz. nutmegs ; li pounds
allspice; 20f gallons white wine, at £4, 2s. and Gd ; 12 bottles red wine;
10£ gallons rum ; while 10 shillings additional were paid for coffin furniture, and
one pound sterling each to dame Hannah Gash and Mr. Ireland for attendance.
And so it seems our forefathers went becomingly and jovially to their graves Anno
Domini 1708, in Baltimore-Town.

OF BALTIMORE. 29

in Strawberry alley, and another, in the next year, in Lovely lane.
The Presbyterians had already erected their First Church on the
corner of North and Fayette streets, — torn down within late years
to give place to the United States Court House. The Roman Catho-
lics, in 1770, erected part of St. Peter's Chapel, on Saratoga street,
though by a curiously conceived lawsuit against " Ganganelli, Pope
of Rome," — (for want of another defendant,) — brought by one of
the builders, who had become bankrupt, to recover advances ; the
Church was, at the beginning of the Revolution, closed for some
time, forcing the worshippers to assemble in a private house in South
Charles street, until they could recover possession. This, however,
was obtained sooner than practicable by the " law's delay," by the
address of a Captain of volunteer militia, who insisted on marching
his Catholic troops to their place of worship, and demanded and
obtained the key of the deserted Chapel. In 1773, the Baptists
bought a lot and erected part of a church on Front street ; while the
German Lutherans, with the aid of a lottery, built one on Fish street
(now Saratoga), with an established clergyman as their permanent
pastor. Nor, were Internal Improvements by public highways ne-
glected. In 1774, the Legislature passed an act appropriating £4,000
or $10,666f, to be expended by thirteen Supervisors in making "the
three great roads leading to the town," from the West, the North and
the East ; thus establishing, 1st, the intercourse between the town and
the western parts of Maryland, and thence, by the line of " Brad-
dock's Road," to " Red-Stone-Old-Fort," on the Monongahela ; 2d, the
intercourse with Harford county, the Suscmehanna head-waters, and
onward to Philadelphia ; and 3d, with the northern parts of our own
county and Pennsylvania. This, too, was the epoch of the establish-
ment of a public press in Baltimore, — the weekly " Maryland Journal
and Baltimore Advertiser," being first issued by William Goddard,
of Rhode Island, who had removed from Philadelphia, and printed
at a house on the east side of South street, near Market (now Balti-
more street). He published his first paper on the 20th of August,
1773.- Before this, the newspapers of Philadelphia and Annapolis
were the sole mediums of information for Baltimoreans, and the
only means of advertising their wares or their wants. An attempt,
soon after, made by a certain Joseph Rathel, to establish a Circulating

* As a sample of Baltimore business at that time, we may notice an advertise-
ment of Thomas Usher, who in stating that he has a variety of imported goods for
sale, adds : " T. U. is erecting a spacious shed, capable of containing many horses,
for the accommodation of country people and wagoners, with the conveniency of a
large trough to feed in ; and market people may be there accommodated, as horses
may stand in safety, and a pump is convenient to water them."

30 HISTORICAL SKETCH

Library, was loss successful, as might be expected from an advertise-
ment in one of Goddard's early issues, by an empirical, "Doctor John
H. Gilbert," who describes himself as a " German, and regular-bred
physician, who, from study and travel, by land and sea, and long
successful experience and practice, has found the great efficacy and
virtue of his several preparations," after reciting which, he remarks
in a "Postscript:" "1ST. B. The Doctor has for sale some copies of
the Vicar of Wakefield, in 2 vols., by the celebrated Doctor Gold-
smith !" It is probable that Baltimore-Town was not then so much
a reading as a talking community, — its citizens meeting at the
" Coffee House," or enjoying themselves by a visit to the theatre
then lately established in a warehouse at the corner of Market and
Frederick streets, or, soon after, in the better Thespian temple, built
at the intersection of George (now Water) and Albemarle streets, by
Douglass and Hallam. Books, indeed, were not advertised for sale
in Baltimore during the next five years, except a few in 1774, " at the
printing office;" and again, in 1775, as to be obtained from one "Wil-
liam Green, from Philadelphia," who visited the city with a collection
of books for sale, and who wisely admonishes the burghers that " his
stay will be short !" The town " improvements" for intercourse
between the two sides of the Falls were much amended at this epoch.
Gay street bridge was entirely rebuilt of wood ; but another, erected
at the Market street crossing, was constructed of stone, whose arches,
however, unfortunately gave way when the supporting centre-boards
were withdrawn, so that it had to be reconstructed of wood. An-
other bridge of wood was also, for the first time, built at Water
street ; but it was necessary to connect both the Market and Water
street improvements with the town, by raised causeways, from
Frederick street across the marsh.

In 1774, when taxation was by head, or "per poll" Baltimore-
Town <in<l county contained 7,410 taxable inhabitants, and the levy
w;is 172 pounds of tobacco per /">//, or 1,274,000 pounds in all, con-
vertible in current money, at 12 shillings and 6 pence per hundred
pounds. The price of tobacco in t/tc market was then from fifteen to
twenty-five shillings per hundred in Baltimore, and consequently it
may he supposed that this liberal discount to tax-pavers was availed
of.

In 177-") Goddard's enterprise stimulated Dunlop to establish his
" Maryland Gazette;" and doubtless the notes of war, sounding in
the distance, bad already made men's minds alert for news as well
as for interchange of opinion upon the growing dispute ; so that they
not only sought information as to the times, hut began to build a

OF BALTIMORE. 31

battery on Whetstone Point, and stretched three massive chains
supported by floating blocks, across the narrowest part of the strait
at the entrance of the harbor, leaving but a very narrow passage for
vessels on the side of the fort. At an election held " in the town " in
1776, four hundred and seventy-two votes were taken, while the
unadded "Fell's Point," at that time, contained a population of 821.
The year before, there were enumerated 504 houses and 5,934 in-
habitants in the town proper, so that, with the addition of the 821 of
" Fell's Point " or Deptford Hundred, as it was called, — there were
6,755 individuals girdled by the defences of Whetstone Point and its
floating chain. The population in this quarter of Maryland and in
our immediate neighborhood, may be estimated from this record,
and from the census of the original " Baltimore County " before its
subdivision, which gave that district 10,490 slaves and servants, and
about 20,000 free white inhabitants. Thus the growth of Baltimore-
Town and its adjuncts had, in the second quarter century, largely
exceeded the progress of the first twenty-five, at the end of which
Mr. Moale had drawn his rough profile of the ungainly village.*

In a sketch of a large city's growth, for which so small a space in
the present work, can be spared, the writer is so much confined to
annalistic details that it is quite impossible to dwell upon many his-
torical facts which would be useful in elucidating a fuller narrative
of Baltimore. For instance, we should have much pleasure in offer-
ing our studies and views of the colonial establishments and legisla-
tion of the Lord Baltimores and their Assemblies, as well as the
legislation of Great Britain for its colonies and provinces. It, is
indeed, difficult to comprehend growth, at all, in the swathing-
cloths of such restrictive domination ; so that the allegiance of a
people, — free in temper and spirit, — their endurance and apparent
contentment for so many years, — are matters of wonder in this age
of liberty and self-government. The navigation laws of Great
Britain, which confined all of the colonial trade to British and
colonial merchants and ships ; limiting intercourse to her European
dominions for tobacco, and allowing no other trade but a restricted
one to the south of Europe, were, alone, sufficient to mar the pro-
gress and manhood of airy colony ; yet the Marylanders, wrought,
traded, planted and steadily increased in numbers. The restrictions
and revenue laws were, however, doubtless, often and lucratively

* In May, 1778, William Stinson advertises in a Baltimore paper, the opening of
a " Coffee- House, at the corner of Market and South streets," which, he says, "is
much wanted in this great commercial and flourishing Town ;" — though before that
time there were certainly inns for the accommodation of the country-folk.

32 HISTORICAL SKETCH

evaded ; — indeed, they were but invitations to duplicity. The dis-
couragement, nay inhibition, of all manufactures, except flour, iron
and " homespun" made the people dependent mainly upon tobacco
and grain for their exchanges ; and thus, in the midst of a region
unsurpassed for water power, they were reduced to agriculture, or
the simplest trade, for subsistence and the hope of wealth. In addi-
tion to this, they were cramped by their currency, and obliged to
suffer losses by exchange ; £200 in bills of credit, being given for
£100 sterling before the year 1750, though they afterwards recovered
a better ratio of values. The legal currency and money of account
remained, as fixed by the coins one hundred years before, at six shil-
lings per dollar, while the real par, at this period, was by general
consent, placed at seven shillings and six pence, — a rate which was
confirmed directly after the declaration of Independence.* During
all this period, too, the spirit of the Proprietary's enterprise, and the
spirit of the Royal government, which, at times interposed and
interrupted the Proprietary's control of his province, was to keep
this " fishing and farming " colony, a " fishing and farming " manor
for the Lord Baltimores, capable in time, of producing a princely
revenue for the family and for England. Farms, forges, mills, and
plantations, or manorial estates, were all that met the royal or pro-
prietary approval. The edict to the people of Maryland was : " pro-
duce from the soil your wheat and iron and profitable tobacco, and
give them to us exclusively in Great Britain ; for which, we shall
return you our manufactures and luxuries, supplying you also, with
labor from our prisons and from Africa ; and thus you will be, and
continue to be, dependent on your mother — England." The terms of
settlement, as proposed for " adventurers " originally, by Cecelius
Calvert the second Lord Baltimore, were liberal enough, so for as
the indigent emigrant was concerned, after his four or three years
of indented service had expired ; but neither for him nor for his
master was the whole, paramount, colonial system, — either of the
Crown or of the Proprietary, — calculated to develop so rich and
various a territory as is grasped and penetrated by the bays and
rivers, and crowned by the coal and iron mountains of our opulent

* From an early clay Maryland was embarrassed by a want of currency. Cecelius
Calvert (2d Lord) tried the issue of silver coins, shillings sixpences, and groats, but
the experiment was probably not extensive enough. Government bills of credit
were issued, and soon depreciated. In 1732, the Assembly made tobacco a legal ten-
der, at one penny per pound, and Indian corn at twenty pence per bushel. The value
of tobacco as a currency for legal costs, &c, was afterwards fixed again by law, —
but the market value per pound seems, to a late date, to have regulated its value as
a currency, according to the decisions of the courts in various cases.

OF BALTIMORE. 33

State. Yet, it is unquestionable that if this colonial or provincial
policy did not produce the greatest results possible in wealth and
material progress, it seems to have formed a very contented, a very
cultivated, and a very polished people. The system made Annapolis
everything. It was the seat of government ; and there all society
centred, as well as the springs of all mercantile and commercial
affairs. All entrances and clearances of vessels were made there.
The governor and all the public officers dwelt in the political capital ;
and around them, — generally born in Great Britain and highly
educated and connected, — gathered the most learned persons in pro-
fessional life, as well as the wealthiest planters and their families.
Elegant and extensive houses were built, and the elaborate furniture,
the ancestral portraits and pictures, and the current fashions, were all
brought from what Marylanders were then pleased affectionately to
call " home," — Great Britain. Accordingly it is not surprising to find
in the old records and writings of that day, that Annapolis was con-
sidered the " Court of the Colonies," and that the renown of the
Sharpes and the Edens, and their courtly circles of Dulanys, Carrolls,
Jennings, Ogles, Goldsboroughs, Carmichaels, Johnsons, and Chases,
is remembered to the present day, not only in the ancient city itself,
but throughout the State. Indeed, the culture of Annapolis was
not external or showy alone, and confined to graces of manner or
hospitality. The men were, in truth, " persons of quality " in in-
tellect, education, and, better than all, in character; for it is from
these very circles that the Carrolls, the Johnsons, the Tilghmans, the
Pacas, the Stones, and the Chases, sprang, when the first call was
made on our people for the defence of American rights.

34 HISTORIC A LS KETCH

BALTIMORE:

FROM THE OUTBREAK OF THE REVOLUTION TO THE PEACE WITH GREAT
BRITAIN. 1776 TO 1783.

The summary character of this sketch confines us so much to gene-
ral outlines that it is impossible to detail the numerous political events
in Maryland, and especially in Baltimore-Town, from the origin of
the discontent with the mother country, relative to taxation, to the
period of the actual outbreak of the war. It must suffice to say that
the Baltimoreans not only understood their rights as well as their
interests, hut were quite resolved to maintain them whenever re-
quired, in spite of the opinions of a few loyalists who were willing
to abide by power and "its oppressions. The Stamps and the Teas, it
is true, were sent to Annapolis, and the forcible opposition to their
introduction or use occurred in the political and commercial capital
of the Province ; but, doubtless, had the occasion arisen in Baltimore,
its people would have been as stern and decided as the Annapolitans
in their destruction of the obnoxious herb, and the vessels that brought
it. When the news came from Boston, in 1774, that its port had
been closed, a Baltimore Committee, to correspond with neighboring
colonies, was promptly appointed by a public and very patriotic
assemblage of the best citizens. The ablest men of character, prop-
erty and influence were put upon it. Resolves against importation
were passed; words of cordial support were sent to the Massachusetts
men, and collections were made for the distressed Bostonians. Mili-
tary companies were formed and supplied, and plans devised to
obtain reliable arms and abundant ammunition. The zeal of the
people was manifested in their outspoken earnestness. Timid or
Lukewarm townsmen were marked, and so were all importations ; nor
were strangers allowed to visit or sojourn among our people without
examination into their characters and purposes. These inspections
were rigidly observed by the Committee, and many persons were
ordered away or required to give security for their behavior. A
clergyman, who declared that: — "all persons who mustered were
guilty of treason; and that they who had sworn allegiance and now

OF BALTIMORE. ,« O f> >* O O O 35

took up arms were guilty of perjury," — was summoned before this
popular tribunal, and, — being informed that "such declarations were
calculated to defeat the measures recommended for the preservation of
America and Iter Liberties, and that it was, therefore, the Committee's
duty to take notice of persons guilty of such offences," promptly
made the apology required, and was dismissed with its acceptance.
An imprudent letter from Mr. James Christie, a merchant, to a rela-
tive of his in the British service, was intercepted, and caused his
arrest. He was personally protected from violence, but the conven-
tion at Annapolis fined him £500 sterling, and ordered him to leave
the Province. A Captain Button was gently reprimanded, as a mild
warning to super-zealous royalists ; while Mr. James Dalglieish,
who had been somewhat intoxicated, it seems, when he repeatedly
denounced the American movement, thought it best to decamp from
Baltimore and was never heard of afterwards. The popular Com-
mittee, appointed by the townsmen on the 12th of November, 1774, —
the Revolutionary Fathers, in fact, of Baltimore, — were Samuel
Purviance, Jr., Robert Alexander, Andrew Buchanan, D. John Boyd,
John Moale, Jeremiah Townly Chase, William Buchanan and Wil-
liam Lux. No record of Baltimore's history*, no matter how brief,
would be complete without the mention of these honored, aged,
patriotic men, whose descendants still survive and are respected in
our city of eighteen hundred and seventy. These gentlemen, — with
Messrs. William and John Smith, Thomas Harrison and Robert
Christie, Sen., — had been previously appointed a Committee of Cor-
respondence, on the 31st of May, 1774, at a called " meeting of the
freeholders and gentlemen of Baltimore County," held at the Court
House ; but the Committee named, on 12th of November of the same
year, seems, — (with but one exception,) — to have been the effective
administrators of the town and its vicinity, under the chairmanship
of Samuel Purviance, Jr., whose ample correspondence shows that he
was as bold, staunch and self-sacrificing in the cause as any merchant
in the land at that dangerous period. His daring effort to arrest the
Proprietary Governor Eden, previous to that functionary's departure
for England, — (disapproved as it was by the Convention of delegates
from the counties of Maryland, which had been formed and was sit-
ting at Annapolis,') — shows the zeal with which he was ready to im-
peril himself, for what he considered the welfare of Maryland. The
Provincial Convention, in August, 1775, declared, "in the name of
the inhabitants, that they would, to the utmost of their power, prose-
cute and support the then opposition carrying on, as well by arms as
by the Continental Association." It provided for regular elections

36 HISTORICAL SKETCH

of its members in succession, as well as of Committee men, by the
"freeholders of each county and other freemen having a visible
estate of £40 sterling, or qualified to vote for burgesses." Baltimore
County and Town were allowed to send five Delegates and to have
thirty-seven Committee men, whose powers extended to the general
police and government of the county ; while the county, itself, was
directed to furnish five of the forty companies of active minutemen.
Before this, nay, even before the battle of Lexington, on the 19th of
April, Baltimore-Town had formed several companies of each descrip-
tion of arms, and made every exertion to procure ammunition. Among
others, General Buchanan, Lieutenant of the County, distinguished
himself and took command of a company of gentlemen of riper
years ; while a company of their sons and younger companions, armed
and equipped themselves in rich scarlet uniforms, under the orders of
Captain Gist, who afterwards became well known as the General
Mordecai Gist of the Revolutionary Army. Many vessels, returning
home, were searched and stripped of their arms and ammunition.

As soon as the Annapolis Convention spoke out in August, several
gentlemen volunteered, and joined the army before Boston, among
whom were Richard Carey, David Hopkins, and James McHenry, —
subsequently a soldier of the war, a member of Washington's Staff,
and finally, one of his Cabinet, while President.

The five Delegates to the Convention and the thirty-seven Com-
mittee men, were, of course, duly elected. Purviance, Lux, Chase,
Alexander and Boyd, were appointed to superintend the trade and
importation of arms ; while Moale, Harrison, Calhoun, Sollers, Ais-
quith, Ridgely and John Eager Howard, were empowered to license
lawsuits, in order to prevent the abuse of the legal processes which
the disaffected might attempt.

It was about this time that the Water Battery on Whetstone Point,
— before mentioned, — was planned by Mr. James Alcock, and begun
under the superintendence of Messrs. Griest, Griffith and Louden-
slager, while Captain JS". Smith was put in command of the artillery
stationed at that post. The chain was soon Btretched, afloat, over the
narrow strait, whose channel was additionally impeded by sunken
vessels. Men were enlisted in Baltimore by Samuel Smith, Mordecai
G-ist, David Plunkett, Brian Philpot and William Ridgely, who held
commissions in a regiment of which Smallwood, the future General,
was Colonel. The Bermudian sloop Hornet, the State's ship Defence,
the Lexington, and the Andrea Doria, commanded by the brave and
well known .loslma Barney, were put into service; the Nicholsons,
also, look service in this little navy that was preparing; and so the

OF BALTIMORE. 37

Town and Province united cordially in preparations for oft'ence and de-
fence in the impending war. Never, with hut few exceptions, could a
people have heen more decided, — both natives and Europeans uniting
cordially in condemnation of Parliamentary taxation. Still, it was
hoped by almost every one, that wiser counsels would prevail, and
that the " rights of America " might be secured from a more enlight-
ened Ministry and British Legislature, without resorting to an armed
conflict for absolute and national independence. But, so mild an end
of the quarrel was not in store for America. The die was, at length,
cast ; and the Declaration of Independence was made by the Con-
gress, in July, 1776 ; finally signed by nearly all the delegates in that
month and the next, — and approved by the various delegations sit-
ting at the capitals of the colonies. Its promulgation was the signal
for the departure of the " Loyalists ;" and Baltimore afforded her
faithless quota, in which we find the name of Robert Alexander, who
had once been a delegate to the Convention and even to the Congress ;
of Daniel Chamier, who had been Sheriff of the County ; of Doctors
Henry Stevenson and Patrick Kennedy, the former of whom had
built a splendid mansion and laid out superb grounds and gardens
on the hills near the Falls, in the rear of the jail, and whose house
still remained standing a short time ago ; of Mr. James Somerville,
a respectable merchant, and several others, who, in retiring from
Maryland, determined that, if they could not join their townsmen
in the dispute, they would not oppose them by violence. Some, it is
said, ended their lives in obscurity, and perhaps in poverty, abroad,
while others took opportunities, during the war, to render kindly
services to the soldiers of liberty, who fell into the hands ot the
British. A very few returned after the peace, and remained in Bal-
timore or the State.

The history of the Town and of the Province during the Revolu-
tionary war is a part of our national history, and its events and
heroes are so well recorded in the books and memories of our people,
that it is perhaps unnecessary in this rapid sketch to recount the local
occurrences of the seven years' struggle and trial. The student who
desires fuller details of transactions in the Town, at that period, will
be amply rewarded by the " Narrative of events which occurred in
Baltimore-Town during the Revolutionary war," published in 1849,
by the late Mr. Robert Purviance, an accomplished merchant of this
city, nephew of Samuel Purviance, Jr., the celebrated Chairman of the
Baltimore Committee, during the war, and who compiled this valu-
able work from the original papers, journals and correspondence of
4

38 HISTORICAL SKETCH

the Committee and of his uncle, who, in 1788, fell a victim to the
Indians while attempting to descend the Ohio.

Our town's people, meanwhile rested quiet under all the discom-
forts and self-denials of war. Having no importations, and no manu-
factures but rough " homespun " woollens and coarsest linens, they
were often at a loss for clothing, and, of course, made no attempts at
display. They had no luxuries and few amusements. There may
have been a " ball " or an " assembly " tolerated from time to time,
when good news came from the battle-field. Now and then, a few
contraband ounces of the " infamous tea," may have been smuggled
into a private house, and consumed by even the patriotic and tea-
loving dames, out of a "coffee-pot" but never out of a tea-pot!
" However ditficult," said the Baltimore Committee, " may be the
disuse of an article which custom has rendered familiar and almost
necessary, yet we hope the ladies will cheerfully acquiesce in this self-
denial, and thereby evince to the world a love of their friends, their
posterity and the country I"

Theatres were absolutely forbidden ; and, as a glimpse of the times,
we cannot help presenting the reader a sample of the female feeling
of the Colony, in a petition to the authorities for the performance of
a play during these days of peril. It is an old manuscript of the time,
and thus quaintly sets forth the wishes of the " ladies of quality " of
that day : —

" Mr. Thomas "Wall, having solicited several Ladies of this City,*
that they would intercede with the executive Power to grant him
Permission to exhibit Theatrical Performances : We whose Names
are subjoined, Impelled by motives of Humanity for his distressed
Family, and the pleasurable Improvement resulting from said
Rational Entertainments, have thought proper to gratify his re-
quest ; and therefore respectfully desire the Governor and Council
to grant him License for that purpose. The Calamities of War,
have in a great Measure Secluded the Fair-Sex from any Participa-
tion in Public Amusements, and whilst the Gentlemen have frequent
opportunities of enlarging their social Intercourse, over an Exhilarat-
ing Bottle, the Ladies are frequently consigned to Solitude and
Oblivion. Affected Sagacity, with formal Saws and Solemn Phiz,
may incline to treat this Application with Cynical Reprehension,
but from the known Urbanity of his. Excellency and the other Hon-
orable Members, it is expected to meet with less Contemptuous
Treatment. No Salique Law has hitherto excluded the influence of

* Annapolis.

OF BALTIMORE. 39

Female Solicitation in a refined Society, and every G-enerous son of
Liberty must wish to promote whatever may contribute to the Hap-
piness of the zealous Daughters of Freedom."

Here follow the names of Mrs. Carroll, of Carrollton, Mrs. Brice,
and forty-one other leading ladies of Maryland ; while their earnest
appeal to the authorities is backed by another, to the same effect,
from ('harks Carroll of Carrollton, Samuel Chase, and forty-seven of
the principal men of the district. How the petition tared we do
not know ; but certain it is that Lafayette, on his way to Virginia
during the war, in 1781, was entertained at a ball, where, with all
his courtesy and address, he could not hide the sadness and anxiety
which must then have oppressed every responsible officer of the
army. His demeanor was noticed, and became the source of a
patriotic outburst of the very women who " longed a little " for an
occasional play, or dance, or sip of the " herb that cheers but not ine-
briates." The gallant Frenchman told his questioners that he could
not enjoy the gaiety of the scene whilst his poor soldiers were with-
out clothes ; ragged, and destitute of even the necessaries for a
campaign. " We will supply them ! " exclaimed the patriotic
women ; and next day, the ball-room and fan were exchanged for
the work-room and needle, and, in a short time, the clothing was
made hj these Baltimore belles of 1781, out of materials furnished
by their fathers and husbands. Lafayette never forgot the occasion ;
and never did he neglect a Baltimorean in after life. When he
visited this city in 1824, he recurred to the event we have men-
tioned, and affectionately inquired for his "friend, the patriotic
commissary, David Poe," who, out of his own limited means, had
supplied him with five hundred dollars to aid in clothing the Con-
tinental troops, while his excellent wife, without aid from other
hands, had cut out five hundred pairs of pantaloons, and superin-
tended their making, for the suffering soldiers !

Such were the times and the temper of all classes and both sexes
in Baltimore-Town. Living was difficult, expensive, and danger-
ous. But the place was, nevertheless, alluring, and in spite of the
war, the exposure, and the necessity of surrendering even one's
blankets for the soldiers in the field, it seems to have attracted
settlers in considerable numbers.

In 1778, all foreign fabrics had become so scarce or costly that
many factories which had been prohibited in the colony were estab-
lished for the making of necessary articles, either in or near the
Town. There were a linen factory, a bleaching yard, a paper mill,
a slitting mill, a cord factory, a nail factory, and a linen and woollen

40 HISTORICAL SKETCH

factory. Before the war, vessels, as we said, had to enter and clear
at Annapolis ; but, in 1780, a Custom House was established here,
and Thomas Sollers, the naval officer, authorized to grant registers
for vessels. In May, during a single week, one brig from France,
and one ship, three brigs and five schooners from the West Indies,
took advantage of this arrangement and came to our wharves. There
was, of course, vast difficulty as to exchange and currency : yet, out
of fifty-six debtors to British merchants, who paid their debts into
the treasury of the new " State " in depreciated money, there were but
four or five residents of Baltimore-Town or county. In 1782, a line
of stage coaches, — (afterwards extended to Alexandria,) — was estab-
lished between Baltimore and Philadelphia, — our Town at that date
containing eight thousand inhabitants and eight places of worship.
During the very heat of the war, twenty gentlemen came to Bal-
timore as residents, among whom we find the names of Curzon, Pat-
terson, Gilmor, Torrence, Boyd, Levering, Payson, Frick, AVilliams,
Difienderfler, Rayborg, Leypold, Heide, Shultze and Schafier, all of
whom at once engaged in active business, as far as then practicable,
and, at the close of the war, were foremost in developing the liberated
commerce and industry of the Town.

The suspension of hostilities with Great Britain was joyously
celebrated by an illumination on the night of the 21st of April, 1783.
It was not only a rejoicing for release from war and for liberty and
independence, but of anticipated prosperity arising from freedom,
personal, agricultural and commercial ; and, in truth, it is from this
period that Baltimore may date a material progress unexampled in
the history of American cities. Renewed attention to Baltimore-
Town, as a seat of trade, followed the cessation of active warfare
and the prospect of peace. Many merchants from other States and
from Europe settled here, and in 1782, the streets were begun to be
paved, especially the main, or Market street, which in spring and
fall was generally impassable from Gay to the Falls. Sidewalks
were laid, and the width of the cellar doors and of the old-fashioned
porches of front doors limited, so that the burghers could not take
up too much space allowed for pedestrians, while enjoying their even-
ing chat or pipe before their dwellings. AVharves, too, were built,
and laws made to guard the streets from nuisances, and the harbor
from street drainage ; while the streets themselves were only to be used
by vehicles of a certain breadth of wheel. To defray these expenses an
auction tax was laid on the sales of the only auctioneer in this town ; —
a tax was also imposed on public exhibitions and on assessed prop-
erty : and, that common panacea, — an annual lottery, — was authorized

OF BALTIMORE. 41

to bring up the arrears of deficiencies in municipal expenses. The
Executive of this system was a Board of Commissioners with
ample powers to aid the Town Commissioners; so that the new
board,— in fact the first " Civic Fathers" of Baltimore, — composed of
William Spear, James Sterrett, Engelhardt Yeiser, George Linden-
berger, Jesse Hollingsworth, Thos. Elliott and Peter Hoffman, — was
made a sort of body politic and corporate, authorized to fill their
own vacancies, appoint a Treasurer, collect fines for the use of the
Town, appoint Constables, and to report their accounts to the Town
Commissioners. At the ensuing session of the Legislature, it was
thought that the powers thus conferred on a self-appointing and irre-
sponsible body were too extensive ; and, accordingly, provision was
made for the removal of the first set, and the selection of others,
every five years, by elected electors. In recording these primordial
city foundations, it is due to the memory of our excellent ancestry
in town-government, to record the names of William Smith, John
Moale, Richard Ridgely, Daniel Bowly, Hercules Courtenay and
John Sterrett, who then filled the important function of Town Com-
missioners of Baltimore. In 1783, the year of the peace, Samuel Smith,
Samuel Purviance, Daniel Bowly, John Sterrett, Thomas Russell,
Richard Ridgely, Robert Henderson, Thomas Elliott and William
Patterson, were appointed AVardens of the Port of Baltimore, for five
years, to be renewed by selection of the electors of the Special Com-
missioners every five years in succession. Of this body Mr. Purvi-
ance was chosen Chairman. Measures were also taken to make a
survey and chart of the basin, harbor and Patapsco river ; to ascer-
tain the depth and course of the channel, and provide for keeping it
clear, while a penny per ton was imposed on every vessel clearing or
entering, to defray the expenses. This impost was raised to two cents,
and sanctioned by Congress, after the adoption of the Constitution
of the United States. The Wardens were also empowered to make
rules as to wharfage and wharves and their repair ; there being then,
it is said, no "private wharves" extending over two hundred feet, ex-
cept those of Messrs. Spear, Smith and Buchanan ; so that the space
occupied by water, at that time, was perhaps double the surface of
the present docks and basin. John and Andrew Ellicott owned the
water-lot, and built an extended wharf on Light street, to make
which highway they used the sediment of the basin, which they ex-
tracted by a drag drawn by horses. This primitive and rude process
preceded the iron scoops applied by a windlass, which were after-
wards used by these gentlemen for the same purpose, and were the
simple mud-machines of our ancestors.

42 HISTORICAL SKETCH

A company, chiefly composed of Baltimoreans was very soon
formed and incorporated to make a canal on the Susquehanna, and
in the year 1799, another corporation was created to unite the
waters of the Chesapeake and Delaware by the same means. The
intercourse with " the western country," too, was not neglected, for
the value of the West was already known, and its virgin lands and
mineral wealth coveted. This intercourse was promoted by roads
through Frederick and Hagerstown and onward to the Monongahela
and Ohio, while regular lines of stages were established and began to
ply betwixt Baltimore and Frederick, and Annapolis. " The news "
was more eagerly sought for than ever, and the want was supplied
by a new gazette issued by Mr. John Hayes, who commenced the
publication of his " Maryland Gazette." An attempt to establish a
bank failed ; but a better project — to light the streets — succeeded, as
well as the plan of a day-police and a night-watch to guard the vil-
lagers while they slept. Our 8,000 townsmen of that day were,
however, so exemplary in their demeanor, both in daylight and
darkness, that but three constables were required for hours of busi-
ness and but fourteen watchmen for the night I We have advanced
in civilization and numbers since then I

The greater part of the Baltimoreans who went to the wars and
held commissions returned as permanent residents to the town, and
were soon followed by such persons as General Otho Holland Wil-
liams, Colonel Ramsay, Colonel McIIenry, General Swann, Colonel
Bankson, the Tilghmans, Strickers, Clemms, Ballards and Harrises
from other parts of the new State, or from other States, while the
number of absolute settlers was largely augumented from France,
Germany, Holland and even England. The principal emigrants
from Europe were such men as Zacharie, Pascault, Monbois, Latil,
Delaporte, Dumeste, and Paul Bentalou, in whose arms the brave
Pulaski died after the siege of Savannah. A few years after, these
well remembered merchants were succeeded by another influx of
Europeans, the most prominent of whom were Messonier, Valck,
Carrere, Labes, Mayer, Oliver, Schroeder, Brantz, Caton, Coopman,
Seekamp, Ghcquere, Von Kapif, Brune and other intelligent and
thoroughly educated merchants, who were well known in the com-
mercial circles of our town during its greatest prosperity in foreign
trade In fact, — what with enterprising men, public improvements,
increased capital, a desire to open and extend domestic as well as
foreign intercourse, and the establishment of an efficient civic appa-
ratus, -the town began distinctly to assume the air of an important
mart. Nothing indicates the multiplication of consumers so com-

OF BALTIMORE. 43

pletely as a difficulty of supplying conveniently and abundantly all
the mouths that are to be fed. Up to this period the old and single
market house had sufficed for Baltimore, but now the inhabitants
of Old Town and of Fell's Point, — those on Howard's Hill, — and
those in the centre of the settlements, began to dispute about the
site of enlarged accommodations for the traffic in provisions. It
was soon seen that one market would no longer satisfy the three
widely separated classes of population ; and it was, therefore, wisely
resolved that each should be accommodated. In early times it had
been intended to get rid of " the Marsh" on Mr. Harrison's property
at the junction of Harrison and Baltimore streets, by thoroughly
excavating it so as to form a Dock connecting with the Basin and
extending the whole distance thence to our principal street. This
scheme was now abandoned, and the site of our present Maryland
Institute was devoted to one of the three market houses, which was,
accordingly, built thereon, and, for so many years bore the name
of "the Marsh" or "Centre Market." Meanwhile the people of
Fell's Point proceeded to erect a market for the Point on a space
appropriated therefor by Mr. Fell, holding their markets on Tues-
days and Fridays; while the dwellers on "Howard's Hill" built
the third on the northwest corner of Camden and Hanover streets,
opening it for traffic on Mondays and Thursdays ; — Wednesdays and
Saturdays being devoted to the " Marsh." Thus the dispute was
settled ; though our subsequent wants demanded the erection, in
1803, of our renowned "Lexington Market," for the benefit of the
AVestern Precincts, and, another for the Eastern Precincts, author-
ized in 1807, on ground given by Colonel Rogers, which, however,
was not erected until 1819.

The description previously given of the town's topography in the
middle of the eighteenth century, showed that the land in the neigh-
borhood of the Falls, which then nearly touched the " Monument
Square " of our day, in the " horsehoe bend " we described, was
high and precipitous, affording steep banks for the curbing of
that wayward stream. In truth, the bed of Monument Square,
at that time, must have been quite twenty-five or thirty feet
higher than its level in 1870. In the centre of that Square, about
the spot where the Battle Monument now stands, the Baltimore
County Court House had been built on the bluff overlooking the
Falls. It was of two stories, built of brick, and tapered off in the
centre of its roof with a tall lookout and spire, terminated with " a
weather-cock and the points of the compass."

The improvement of the town made it necessary to open Calvert

44 HISTORICAL SKETCH

street northwardly from the water, and accordingly measures were
taken to effect this desirable change. But the Court House stood
in the midst of the projected highway, and seemed too valuable an
edifice to he destroyed for the opening of even so important a street.
To do the thing, and yet to save the building, was the problem. It
was solved by an ingenious mechanic of Baltimore, who engaged
with the Town Council to remove twenty feet of earth from beneath
the foundation of the Court House, and to support it by an archway
and buttresses. The original of the subscription list of our towns-
men, now before us as we write, is dated on the 21st of September,
1784, and provides for payment of the sums set against their names
respectively, for the projected " underpinning." The Smiths, Boyds,
McIIenrys, Moales, Hoffmans, Bowlys and thirty-four other public
spirited men subscribed various amounts, from £125 to £7 each,
unconditionally, there being limitations expressed only by Colonel
Howard, who required that the street should not be " extended so
as to run through his grounds west of Jones's Falls ;" — by Griffith
Hall and Lemmon, that the streets " should be extended eight
hundred feet across the " Meadow ;" — and, Alexander and Andrew
Robinson, that "Calvert street should not be prolonged so ; s to
intersect the Conewago Road." The entire subscription was
liberal, amounting to between six and seven hundred pounds
sterling.

The plan of Mr. Leonard Harbaugh was adopted, and carried into
effect, — bold and reckless as the project seemed; and, until our
modern Court House was erected, on its present site, the old one
served all the purposes of County justice, "perched, as it was, on a
stool," with the whipping-post, pillory, and stocks, in front of the
archway, as perpetual warnings of their fate to all the idlers and
petty malefactors of the vicinage. The Jail, of those days, stood
higher up on the hills, about the site of the granite Record office,
while the Powder House was in the declivity east of the Court
1 louse, and near the original bed of the Falls, at the southeast corner
of our Square and Lexington street, with a small wharf in trout of
it, to which boats from the shipping came for powder during the war.
The water was quite deep, and we have heard an "old inhabitant "
asserl it was there that he learned to swim, and often dived from the
banks in front of this edifice. The low swampy flat, embraced by the
horseshoe curve of the Kails in this neighborhood, was called "Steiger's
Meadow," — the name it was commonly known by to a very late
period ; while, on the heights above the stream and flats, were the Old
German Church, and "Old "St. Paul's, — a wooden, barn-like structure,

OF BALTIMORE. 45

on Charles street ; — and the Roman Catholic chapel on Saratoga, taken
down to make way for Calvert Hall, since used by the Redemp-
torists.

The First Presbyterian Church stood on a cliff east of the Square,
and of which it was a continuation, and so remained after rebuild-
ing, on its original high ground, until it was sold, within a few
years, to the U. S. Government, for public purposes.

When the Old Court House was taken down, many years afterwards,
gentlemen who had erected line residences around it, fearing that the
site might be re-occupied by an unsightly building, memorialized the
Legislature for leave to raise $100,000 for a monument to the mem-
ory of Washington. This was the origin of the present Washing-
ton's Monument, built, however, on land granted for the purpose by
Washington's friend and fellow-soldier, Colonel John Eager Howard,
and not, as originally proposed, in the Square. It seems that when
the dwellers in that neighborhood reflected on the risks incurred
from having so tall and isolated a column near their houses, and
moreover, that, if not built with rock-like staunchness, it might,
some day, fall down and crush them, or, that the lightnings of heaven
might be attracted, by the bare monument, from passing thunder-
storms,— they preferred to leave the Square a vacant space, until it
was adorned with the shorter and less dangerous shaft raised by our
townsmen in memory of their defenders in the second war against
Great Britain. The erection of these "fine dwellings" near the
future Square, attests the removal of the principal merchants and
traders from Fell's Point, where, up to, and even beyond, the period
of the Revolution, most of them had dwelt, as most convenient for
their interests and business. Indeed, we remember perfectly, it was
long afterwards that our fathers could be persuaded to abandon
Camden, Conway, Barre', Hanover, South Charles and Water streets,
and all the best vicinities of the Basin, or the Patapsco, and begin,
even, to believe in the upper parts of Baltimore as suitable for trade
or dwellings. The men of those days, on arriving at the Town, used
to land at ■" The Point," and were entertained in some of its com-
fortable homesteads, among the hospitable gentlefolks to whom they
were introduced by correspondence, until able to obtain dwelling
houses or lodgings for themselves and families elsewhere in this con-
glomerate of settlements. Between town and point there was a vast
space, with few houses, — and mostly covered with corn fields or forest
trees ; so that, — (on a sort of waste-land,) — the original theatre of
Hallam k Henry was built on a common, beyond what was after-
wards known as " the Causeway," — which was long infamous for its

46 HISTORICAL SKETCH

vile inhabitants and sailor-brawls. At that time, the waters of the
basin flowed up to this notorious causeway, close to the brewery,
known as " Claggett's," on Pratt street ; while, on its banks, as well
as in the Marsh below the market, multitudes of blackbirds, snipe
and other water-fowl, were shot by the sportsmen of that day. The
roads between the two sides of the Falls to Water street at Frederick,
was then so frequently overflowed as to require two or three long
bridgings to cross the swash made by the tide. At the foot of Gray
street, within fifty yards of Lombard street, the waters of the
Patapsco rippled on a sandy margin, and there was little interruption
to the original shore line from thence to the commencement of Com-
merce street and the foot of South street, — (which was then at the
present line of Lombard,) — and so on to Light street, and south-
wardly to the " City Spring," still existing not long since, on South
Charles street near Camden. Thence the shores curved to the foot of
Federal Hill at " Hughes's Quay." We have known eminent mer-
chants,— dead within only a few years, — who, as boys, "crabbed"
with a forked stick, the whole of this distance, and whose parents
embarked for Europe, in 1782, at a little dock which came up to
Exchange Place, within thirty feet of its present southern limit !

In those days, Market street (now Baltimore,) extended westward,
beyond the Old Congress Hall, between Sharp and Liberty streets,
from Gay and Frederick streets, where the Alarm-bell and Watch
House were built. The Assembly room, over the " Old Market," at
the corner of Gay, was frequented by all the fashion of the town and
neighboring gentry during the season of winter festivity ; while the
country people who came to traffic, finding the market accommoda-
tions inadequate, lined both sides of Gay street with their wagons,
while others occupied, with stands, the sidewalks on Market street,
which, up to this time, had remained entirely unpaved. We remem-
ber to have heard from an eye-witness that, when the Army passed
through Baltimore in 1781, he saw a mounted soldier nearly swamped,
opposite to North street, in a deep mud-hole from which the rider
and his horse were with difficulty extracted. But, after the paving
of Market street, there were no more pitfalls ; and the improvements,
on both sides of the main highway, wont on with such rapidity that
we seldom found old citizens able to give us the exact chronology of
edifices as they fell before the modern rage for building. It is cer-
tain, however, that there were not many brick houses erected at a
very early day ; OUT quiet ancestors being contented with wood, until,
after tin1 Revolution, when the increase of means, from an emanci-
pated industry and commerce, made the trading community rivals

Or BALTIMORE. 47

of the aristocratic landholders who dwelt on their estates, deriving
ample incomes from plantations or rentals.

In those days the bold heights north of Franklin street and on
the lines of Charles and Calvert streets, were still covered by a thick
forest, and formed part of " Belvidere," — the seat of Colonel John
Eager Howard. This beautiful domain was then popularly known
as " The Park," or, " Howard's Park ;" and, indeed, is so desig-
nated even now, though the forest is gone, the hills have subsided
into streets, and what was woodland is covered with costly dwell-
ings. It was on the upper hills of this Park where, it is said, there
was a spacious lawn, that the townsfolk repaired to show themselves
whenever the alarm was given that " British Barges were ascending
the river towards the town." The intention of this parade, it is
said, was to intimidate the assailants by the display of their numbers
and preparation. "We do not know whether this Chinese system of
defensive warfare ever availed our worthy ancestors in frightening
the enemy ; but it is within our own distinct recollection that
" Howard's Park" was, many years after the Revolutionary War,
the favorite resort of all our military people, — volunteers and
militia, — on "Washington's Birthday" and the "Fourth of July;"
and that thither they went, — in full array and grand processions,
which were the delight of our boyhood, — to listen to the reading of
" Washington's Farewell Address," " the Declaration of Independ-
ence," and an appropriate Oration from the favorite speaker of the day.
AVe remember, too, that independently of its resort as a place of holi-
day display, Howard's Park was the elysium of school bo}Ts, as a free
range for their sports, when boys were less numerous and perhaps
less demonstrative than at present ; — nor are we unmindful of the
tender recollection, that many of the gray-haired grandsires and
grandmothers of the rising generation, were there accustomed, on
Saturday afternoons, to have their first meetings and lover-like
walks, — many of which doubtless terminated in that longer march
of life, in which they have gone down to the present time, hand in
hand, with the fair companions of their boyhood.-

Such was the physical aspect of Baltimore, in the memory of an
old man, soon after the peace with Great Britain.

The late John P. Kennedy, in an article written for a privately
printed book, has given so graphic a picture of the village while

* The Park was, also, the scene of less agreeable occurrences, —several duels
having been fought there by the Hotspurs of the early time. Mr. David Sterrett,
we have heard, was shot in one of them by Mr. Hatfield, at a spot in the woods near
the present corner of Charles and Madison street, north of Washington's Monu-
ment.

48 HISTORICAL SKETCH

merging into a metropolis after the Revolution, that the reader of
these sketches will be best instructed as to the society of that day by
the transfer to our pages of his excellent description.

"It was a treat," says he, "for our ancestors to look upon this
little Baltimore-Town, springing forward with such elastic bound to
be something of note in the Great Republic. * * Market street
had shot like a snake out of a toy-box, up as high as ' Congress
Hall,' with its variegated range of low-browed, hip-roofed, wooden
houses, standing forward and back, out of line, like an ill dressed
regiment. Some houses were painted blue, some yellow, some white,
and here and there a more pretending mansion of brick, with win-
dows after the pattern of a multiplication table, scpiare and many-
paned, and great wastes of wall between the stories ; some with
court yards in front, and trees in whose shade truant boys and ragged
negroes ' skyed coppers ' and played marbles.

" This avenue was enlivened with matrons and damsels ; some with
looped skirts, some in brocade, luxuriantly displayed over hoops,
with comely bodices supported by stays disclosing perilous waists,
and with sleeves that clung to the arm as far as the elbow, where
they were lost in ruffles that stood off like feathers on a bantam.
And then such faces ! — so rosy, spirited and sharp ; — with the
hair drawn over a cushion, — tight enough to lift the eye-brows
into a rounder curve, giving a pungent, supercilious expression to
the countenance ; — and curls that fell in ' cataracts ' upon the shoul-
ders. Then, they stepped away with such a mincing gait, in shoes
of many colors with formidable points at the toes, and high tottering
heels delicately cut in wood, and in towering, peaked hats, garnished
with feathers that swayed aristocratically backward and forward at
each step, as if they took pride in the stately pace of the wearer.

" In the train of these goodly groups came the gallants who up-
held the chivalry of the age; — cavaliers of the old school, full of
starch and powder ; most of them the iron gentlemen of the Revolu-
tion, with leather faces — old campaigners, renowned for long stories,
— not long enough from the camp to lose their military brusquerie
and dare-devil swagger; proper roystering blades who had not long
ago got out of harness and begun to affect the elegancies of civil life ;
* * * all in three-cornered cocked-hats, and powdered hair and
cues, and light colored coats with narrow capes and long backs, and
pockets on each hip, small clothes and striped stockings, shoes with
great buckles, and long, steel watch chains suspending an agate seal,
in the likeness of the old soundingboards above pulpits. * * * It
Avas a sight worth seeing when one of these weather beaten gallants

OF BALTIMORE. 49

accosted a lady. There was a bow which required the width of the
pavement, — a scrape of the foot and the cane thrust with a nourish
under the left arm and projecting behind in a parallel line with the
cue. And, nothing could be more piquant than the lady's return of
the salutation, in a curtsy that brought her with bridled chin and
most winning glance, halfway to the ground !

" It was really comfortable to see a good, housewifely matron of
that time, trudging through the town in bad weather, wrapped
up in a great ' roquelairej her arms thrust into a huge muff, and a
tippet wound about her shoulders in as many folds as the serpent
of Laocoon, a beaver hat close over her ears, and her feet shod in
pattens that lifted her above all contact with mud and water,
clanking on the sidewalks with the footfall of the spectre of the
' Bleeding Nun.' "

This picture of our great-grandfathers and great-grandmothers, from
the clever pencil of our estimable townsman, has to our eyes, per-
haps, a certain spice of wickedness and caricature ; but will the Bal-
timoreans of ninety years hence be less entertained or surprised by
the graphic delineations of the style and fashions of Anno Domini
1870, as displayed in the parlors and promenades of our modern
metropolis ?

How these respectable ancestors of ours fared for certain classes of
servants, who were not slaves, may be curiously seen in the gazettes
published about the time of the Revolution. It is known that it was
the practice to send out yearly, from England to this country, at least
five hundred convicts, who were sold as menials for various periods ;
but it is doubtful whether the readers of history have very adequate
conceptions of the extent to which this system affected the condition
and entered into the family arrangements of our forefathers. It will
astonish students to discover the number of advertisements, relating
to these convicts, to be found in the old newspapers, as well as to the
class of " redemptioners," who entered into engagements to serve in
payment for their transportation to America. Here is an example
of this species of British merchandise, culled from the newspaper
examinations of a friend :

" Baltimore, November 8, 1774.

"Just arrived, in the ship Neptune, Captain Lambert Wilkes,
from London, a number of likely, healthy, indented servants ; viz. :
Tailors, butchers, barbers, masons, blacksmiths, tanners, carpenters,
tinmen, stay-makers, schoolmasters, brass-founder, grooms, brickmaker,
clothiers, clerks, sawyers, gardeners, scourer and dyer, watch and

50 HISTORICAL SKETCH

clock makers, weavers, printer, silversmiths, biscuit bakers, several
farmers and laborers, several women, viz. : Spinsters, mantua-makers,
&c. : — whose Indentures are to be disposed of on reasonable terms by
John Cornthwait, James Williamson, and the Captain on board."
Immediately after this advertisement there is another, so singular as
to be worthy of more permanent record in a notice of Baltimore :

" November 12, 1774 : ' On board the Neptune,' — (the same vessel,)
— lying at Baltimore, — I. Williams, late vintner in London, who has
served as valet de chambre to several noblemen : his last place was that
of Butler to his Grace the Duke of Bolton, and for these few years
past kept a large tavern, but through honest principles surrendered
his all, and was thereby reduced to bankruptcy. He shaves, dresses
hair, is thorough master of the Wine-Trade and Tavern business ;
likewise understands brewing and cookery ; would willingly engage
with any Gentleman, Hair-Dresser or Tavernkeeper : — Also, a young
man, xolio has had a college education, and whose principles will bear
the strictest scrutiny, would be glad to engage as an usher, or private
tutor in a gentleman's family: — he can teach the Minuet, Cotillion, &c,
&c, and writes all the Law-hands. Any gentleman wanting such
persons, by applying to the above ship within 14 days from the date
hereof, will be treated with on the most reasonable terms."

It may be easily understood why these accomplished persons could
not quit the good ship Neptune to seek employment for them-
selves !

OF BALTIMORE. 51

BALTIMORE:

FROM THE PEACE IN 1783 TO 1820; INCLUDING THE PERIOD OF ITS GREATEST
COMMERCIAL PROSPERITY DURING THE EUROPEAN WARS, AND NOTICES OF
THE WAR WITH GREAT BRITAIN OF 1812.

The spirit of enterprise that began to manifest itself during the
war, — which was fostered by the influx of some capital and popula-
tion,— by the success of privateers that carried on a lucrative trade
with the West Indies in the swift sailing craft of the Chesapeake, —
and by the central position of Baltimore, — at the core, as it were, of
the confederacy, — was not destined to be immediately gratified by
vast success when the war was over. Between the period of the
cessation of hostilities and the absolute peace, as well as between the
peace and the adoption of the United States Constitution, there were
doubts and hesitancy as to the extension and security of trade. Im-
mediately after the Revolution, and, in fact, from 1784 to 1787, the
commerce of Baltimore was languid. The country,' — still unconsoli-
dated in absolute nationality, — was yet only a Confederacy of States,
and came out of the war with a debt of forty-four millions of dollars,
about eight millions of which were due to Holland and France. Con-
gress solicited the States to raise revenues by duties, which the}T
agreed accordingly to impose on some exports and imports, on condi-
tion of reciprocity among themselves ; — three-fourths of the income
to pass into the Federal treasury. The duties collected at Baltimore
in the years between the peace and the adoption of the Constitution
averaged, according to the best information accessible, about §200,000
per annum ; and from this sum an estimate may be made of the com-
merce of our port. The languor during these years was attributed
to the general depression of a nation emerging from war ; to debt ;
to the small tonnage of our vessels ; to adverse European policy ;
and to the want of capital, — that great sinew and seconder of all en-
terprise. Our shipping consisted principally of the smaller vessels,
engaged in the West India trade, besides a few larger ones which
were gradually constructing and beginning to partake in the carry-
ing of produce to foreign markets. The staple productions of Mary-

52 HISTORICAL SKETCH

land were then tobacco, corn, wheat and flour, — the tobacco trade
being principally conducted by foreign agents, mostly with European
capital, and largely in foreign shipping. This trade has always
been of great importance to our State and Baltimore, and largely
availed of by foreign States for the imposition of taxes on their own
people. Before -the Revolutionary war it was usual to ship tobacco
for account of the planters, who received advances from the British
agents at the " landings " on the Chesapeake, and who kept estab-
lishments, throughout the province, in the small towns on the
rivers, as well as at the Inspection houses, where they had stores for
the supply of planters. As soon as the war was over, the English
merchants, — supplied with capital and familiar with the business, —
resolved, if possible, not to lose a traffic that had been so profit able ;
and consecpiently they immediately attempted to resume the trade
by extensive agencies at Annapolis, Upper Marlboro', Bladensburg,
Elk Ridge Landing, and other convenient spots on the rivers, —
Baltimore being still secondary in this commerce. Indeed, a great
proportion of the Maryland staple which was consumed on the con-
tinent, especially in Holland and Germany, — under the sway and
influence of British capital, — had to find its way to the ultimate
markets in Europe, by way of England.

At this period, however, Baltimore began to be visited by many
foreign ships, of other countries besides Great Britain. A large
commercial establishment from Holland was formed and settled here
in 1784, and made large purchases of tobacco for Dutch account and
direct shipment. Other houses from Bremen and Hamburg followed
the example about this period, and partook of the trade in a simi-
lar way, still carrying principally in foreign vessels ; until, gradually,
the Baltimore merchants themselves, with enlarged means, began to
participate, for their own account, — building ships of considerable
tonnage, to carry the staple abroad. Thus, by degrees the British
became almost entirely excluded from the tobacco trade : — their
various establishments, throughout the new State, declined very
rapidly and Anally vanished; and thus, as they disappeared, the
tobacco and grain trades became concentrated at Baltimore, with but
a small share left for Georgetown. The tobacco trade may, accord-
ingly, be said to have been the stimulus, if not the foundation, of
Baltimore's commerce, which had thus found the means of inde-
pendent development, and was soon augmented by intercourse with
the back country, as well as by those increased agricultural settle-
ments, which, springing up in the counties, began to pour their
cereals into the growing mart, and to require, in exchange, the pro-

OF BALTIMORE. 53

ducts of Europe and the East, as well as the West Indies. Accord-
ing to the Gazetteer of 1786, there were entered in Baltimore during;
that year, 15 ships, 57 brigs, 160 sloops and schooners, as engaged in
foreign commerce only.

The mode of raising the taxes necessary for public expenses had
been by poll, or by heads of families, and b}r laborers according
to their number; but this being changed by the constitution, the
property, in the town and county of Baltimore, was assessed at the
sum of £1,703,622, or at the relative rate of values at that time,
$1,542,992 ; so that the State tax was $17,036, and the levy of the
county for the next year (1786) was seven shillings per hundred
dollars, or $15,991T60°a. Mr. John O'Donnell arrived here from
Canton, China, on the 9th of August, 17So, with a full Cargo of
India goods, constituting the first direct importation into Baltimore,
the value of which he realized in this town. Regular packets were
established by Captain Joseph White and his associates, to ply be-
tween Baltimore and Xorfolk ; Virginia beginning then to take large
portions of her supplies from this place through Georgetown and
Norfolk. Better accommodations were needed for the craft plying
on the bay and river, and Harrison's wharf was extended on each
side of South street by Daniel Bowly, one of Harrison's executors,
from whom it obtained the name of " Bowly's wharf," which it
bears to this day. Pile driving machines were introduced to in-
crease and improve the water frontage ; and the private wharves,
generally, were extended by such prudent merchants as Messrs.
Purviance, McClure, the Ilollingsworths, and William Smith.

There was at this time much agitation among our people on the
subject of a Charter for the Town, including a Mayor's Court ; yet,
as the scheme, as proposed, left the citizens but little share in their
own government, and reposed it, after the fashion of old institutions,
in the hands of a few, it was wisely opposed, and consequently not
pressed by the originators. The German Calvinists erected the old
church at the East end of the bridge, which after passing into the
hands of the Episcopalians, was sold and taken down some twenty
or thirty years ago, while portions of the congregation erected an-
other church on Conway street, under the care of Mr. Otterbein,
which was called the Evangelical Reformed. The church at the
bridge was sold to the Episcopalians in 1795, and it was soon after,
that the society erected the church in Second street, which for so
long a time sounded the hours for us from its " Town Clock," and
only yielded to the march of civil improvement a short time since
on the opening of Holliday, south of Baltimore street.
5

54 HISTORICAL SKETCH

The " floods" from which onr city has several times suffered, were
known in its early history, and before it either rose to municipal
honors, or had curbed the " Falls" with the walls and buildings
which are now supposed to obstruct the free flow of the waters. On
the 5th of October, 1786, there was a great "freshet;" "the tide,"
it was said, " being met by the current of the falls," and overflowing
the Centre-Market Space and nearly all the made ground and
wharves, carrying away all the bridges, destroying large quantities
of property and merchandise, and drowning a citizen who at-
tempted to ford the Falls below " Keller's dam," then existing near
the present " Belvidere bridge." Market street bridge was rebuilt
by Jacob Small, of wood, with a single arch of ninety feet span ; but
on the 24th of July, 1788, a terrific storm of wind and rain again
threatened these frail structures, and actually injured many of the
wharves in the harbor by the sudden overflow of our streams.

These recurring risks of inundation and loss seem to have caused
one of those periodical spasms of prudence and good purposes which,
on several occasions, have drawn the attention of our people to the
troublesome water-course in our city's centre. Accordingly, they
simply raised the level of the existing wharves, but did not touch the
bridges until ten years afterwards ; nor was it until ten years more
had elapsed, that stone bridges of two arches each were erected at Gay
and Market streets, and soon afterwards, another, also of stone and
of three arches, at Pratt street. Nevertheless, on the 9th of August,
1817, another freshet swept off the wooden crossings at Bath and
Water streets, drifting the debris against the bridges at Gay and Mar-
ket and Pratt streets, and, of course, so damming the swollen stream
that the stone structures were not only much injured, but the Centre
Market and the lowlands of the "Meadow" and their vicinity, com-
pletely submerged.* These scenes of destructive overflow have been
repeated by the stormy rise of Jones's Falls in 1817, 1837, and again
in 1868; until our authorities, alarmed by -losses, which, with each
fresh deluge, increase from thousands to hundreds of thousands of
dollars, have at last authorized the construction of an improved
channel for the " Falls," which, it is hoped, will hereafter save the

* The 7th, 8th, and 9th of August, 1817, were remarkable for the unusual fall of
rain, ami consequent inundations, which extended on the Atlantic slopes <>t' Penn-
sylvania, Maryland and Virginia. On the 8th at midnight the principal rain storm
commenced, and continued with little intermission till about noon, falling some-
times in incredible torrents. The lower parts of the city were inundated nearly up
to the second floors. Six and four-tenths inches of rain fell, as marked by the rain
gauge. The inundation of 1808 flooded the market-house at the Institute to the
height of about eight feet from the lied of the street.

OF BALTIMORE. 55

city from floods, and restore the value of the " swamp" district, so
distinctly marked on the old town map of 1756. Though some-
what out of chronological order, we have thought it fitting to group
these five deluges of Baltimore in 1786, 1788, 1817, 1837, and 1868,
for the convenience of those who are curious in the history of our
city's sufferings from the vile sewer that cuts the town in two,
discharging filth and sediment into the harbor, impairing the
channels of our bay and river, and causing vast expense from the
incessant digging out by machinery of what the worthless Falls
as incessantly pours in.*

But, to return to our commercial history and to the regular train
of our narrative.

Notwithstanding her failing grasp on her ancient colonies, Great
Britain did not relax the harshness of her navigation laws or en-
deavor to recover by policy what she had lost by force. The British
regulations for the fisheries on the banks of Newfoundland, and the
closing of many West Indian ports, began to be felt severely by our
people, so that societies were formed here, and in all the northern
seaports, to consider the condition of affairs ; some urging non-im-
portation of British goods, others seeking the creation of a paper
currency, others desiring to promote and protect domestic manu-
factures, while all, though in different degrees, appear to have ad-
mitted the necessity of strengthening the Federal unity and power
of the frail, war-born Confederacy. A committee of correspondence
was formed in Baltimore, consisting of Adam Fonerden, John Gray,
and David Stodder, to devise means, by interchange of opinion and
action with other States, for the promotion of American industry.
It was acknowledged at once, that true independence was not
secured until we became able to satisfy our national needs within
the bounds of our own country, and by the recompensed labor of
our own people ; while it was generally believed that our affluent
laud contained all the elements of perfect success, requiring only
time and an increased population to develop them.

2s o Companies had yet been chartered for insuring marine risks, but
certain men of business prepared policies of that class which were
subscribed to a large amount by merchants and others of responsible

* It should be recorded in a foot-note, that it was not until 1789 (a year after one
of the freshets) that a new channel was cut for the Falls from Bath to Gay street, thus
destroying the horseshoe bend of the stream already described. It is to be regretted
that the straightening process was not more effectually done by competent engineers,
at that early day when the borders of the Falls were still vacant, or comparatively
worthless.

56 HISTORICAL SKETCH

means. In 1787, the Baltimore Fire Company was incorporated,
and followed by the Maryland, Equitable, and other companies ;
while the turnpikes to Washington, Frederick and Eeisterstown
were authorized, though not constructed for some time after. Balti-
more (then Market) street was also extended beyond Col. Howard's
addition on the west, and an unsuccessful attempt made to introduce
water into the town by pipes. All these facts, dull as they seem at
this distant day, display the interest with which our people were
beginning to regard their town as a substantial mart. The main
things still wanting, as in all new states and nations, just emanci-
pated, were population and capital, as well as perfect independence
and security from the mother country, which undoubtedly had her
eyes yet fixed on America with a longing for the recovery of her
trade, if not of her absolute dominion.

The amount of the tobacco crop of Maryland has always been
fluctuating. Before the Revolutionary War it rose to 20,000 hogs-
heads yearly ; at the end of the war it did not exceed ten thousand ;
since which it ascended, in 1860, to 51,000, and descended again in
1868, to 27,064, rising, in 1869, to 27,782; the recent Ml and fluctu-
ation being, of course, attributable to the conditions of labor in
Maryland, under the disorders and results of civil war. In this
early period of our trade, the Colonial Systems of the European
powers were, of course, rigorously enforced, in all their possessions
in the West Indies and elsewhere. Of course our careful merchants
were obliged not to stimulate domestic production, for fear of running
the agriculturists into excess, and consequent disappointment and
debt. Accordingly, foreign trade became prudent, and the returns
of Colonial produce scarcely sufficed for the consumption of the
country ; generally selling at extremely high rates ; and a carrying
trade — except in the staples — was, of course, out of the question.
The export of flour from Baltimore was confined to the West Indies,
where it was a prime necessity, and carried chiefly in American
shipping of the smaller class. Wheat went in large quantities to
Spain and Portugal, and, in one or two instances, while the ports
were open, to Great Britain. Much of the European trade was con-
ducted in foreign vessels; and Indian corn seems to have been
extensively exported from Baltimore to Portugal in this way, as well
as coastwise, to the Southern and Eastern States in our own craft.
The importation of European manufactures was limited to the con-
sumption of Maryland and the interior of the neighboring states;
and, although the general and disastrous "credit system" did not
yet exist, yet credits were in reality, already given as inducements

OF BALTIMORE. 57

to the country dealers, from whom collections were finally made
with difficulty, and often with large losses to European merchants,
who wore over-zealous in pushing their business. Even before the
Revolutionary War, the agents of these Eng ish houses had estab-
lished their connections in Fredericktown and the western parts of
Maryland, and drove a thrifty trade with the rough hunter-pioneers
of the country, bordering on the headwaters of the Potomac, the
Alleghanies, and the Ohio river.

When the Federal Constitution was adopted and ratified in 1788,
and we became in truth a nation, with well denned national powers
fitting us to regulate trade and to maintain a common defence; and
when the country's debt was funded ; public and private confidence
were increased, and the springs of commercial enterprise were again
set in motion. The certificates of public debt, had, to that time,
been selling at a fifth of their nominal value, but becoming at once
worth par, and soon rising even beyond it, a large, active capital
was forthwith created. This capital was naturally attracted to Bal-
timore, as evidently the true business centre of the Chesapeake and
Potomac regions. Many vessels of large size were built here ; though
most of the larger shipping was constructed on the Eastern Shore of
our Bay and on West river, on account of the greater quantity and
better quality of the requisite materials. A simultaneous deficiency
in the grain crops of Europe, caused a demand for Maryland wheat
and flour, and made commerce therein extremely active; chiefly,
however, in foreign bottoms, but of course bringing here a vast
number of foreign ships.* It must be noted, too, that this was the
epoch of the first two voyages from Baltimore directly, around the Cape
of Good Hope to the Isle of France ; and that hanking first crept into
Baltimore with the incorporation in 1790, of the Bank of Maryland,
with a capital of 8300,000 ; — an institution that long survived and
flourished, but expired in a mob, caused by excitement of its de-
frauded creditors, in 1835. A branch of the Bank of the United
States, in Baltimore, followed in 1792, and the Bank of Baltimore,

* Laws being passed by Congress to carry the Federal Constitution into effect,
General Otho Holland Williams was appointed the first Collector of this Port,
with Robert Purviance as Naval Officer, and Colonel Rol ert Ballard, Surveyor ; and
in 1789, a Society for the Promotion of the " Abolition of Slavery and the relief of
Free Negroes," was organized, with Philip Rogers, President, and Joseph Town-
send, Secretary ; but meeting with opposition in 1792, it was discontinued, and the
building they had erected on Sharp street for an African school was transferred to
the colored people for their church, and by them improved by additions. Another
project, called the Protection Society, in 1817, under the auspices of Elisha Tyson,
was more successful in serving the African race, though not in abolishing slavery.

58 HISTORICAL SKETCH

in 1795 : but the mercantile increase of the town may be best judged
from the list of its shipping, which, in 1790, comprised 27 ships,
31 brigs, 1 scow, 34 schooners, and 9 sloops, carrying in all 13,564
tons; while, according to the first census taken by the United States
Government, the population amounted to 6,422 white males, 5,503
white females, 323 other free persons, 1,255 slaves; iu all. 13,503
individuals.*

The year 1793 was the epoch of the French Revolution, which
was soon followed by the outbreak in the Island of San Domingo,
which caused the foreign emigration to Baltimore already men-
tioned, and the influx of wealth and industry, directed into new
channels of enterprise. A large proportion of this population, with
their property, remained for many years in our town, while many of
the cargoes brought by the French ships were sold here, though
others were transhipped in American vessels. This, at once, created
a considerable "carrying trade" which was subsequently maintained
\yy Ug5 — almost all of the Colonies of the belligerent European powers
being thrown open to us, except the Spanish and British. The
Islands required assorted cargoes, of which our staples formed an
important share ; so that being entirely cut off from the parent
countries, they became dependent on the United States for European
and East India manufactures. This trade we were eager to seize.
Baltimore, from its southern situation, and swift sailers, — besides
possessing the commodities most in demand, — speedily became the
emporium of this colonial trade. The importations from Europe
were vast ; agencies and houses from all parts of the British Islands
and the Continent settled in our town ; the tobacco, and flour and
co'rn trades flourished ; the importation of German linens became
an important branch of commerce for account of the manufacturers
or merchants in Hamburg and Bremen ; and ship building grew in
proportion to the carrying trade, which now began to be largely
supported by American capital and credit. Freights rose to £4.10
sterling, per hogshead of tobacco, while, before 1793, they had been
but £2. Seamen's wages were $30 per month, and all mechanical
labor increased in price proportionally, rendering the industrious

* Since 1783, many of the gentlemen who afterwards hecame prominent merchants
of Baltimore had settled there permanently, and among them we may mention Hugh
Thompson, Edward Ireland, William Lorman, Thomas Tenant, John Holmes,
Joseph Thornburgh, Robert Miller, John Donnell, Lnke Tiernan, Solomon Birk-
head, Solomon Belts, James II. MeCnlloh, Stewart Brown, Leon Changenr, Henry
Didier, A. McDonald, J. P. Pleasants, Barclay & McKean, James Corrie and
James Armstrong.

OF BALTIMORE. 59

part of our workmen extremely prosperous. This new blood of
active wealth penetrated every branch of trade. Real estate, which
previously was of little value, became productive, — representing
capital, — and affording the basis of credit which, of course, was
turned to advantage in commerce. While Baltimore engrossed the
"West Indian Colonial trade, — New England took advantage of the
coasting trade and of that which went to the north of Europe,
supplying the market in return, with the commodities of the Baltic,
such as hemp, canvas, iron and tallow. The traffic of the New
Englanders was not considered profitable to Baltimore; for though
it took off our produce and thus helped our market, it caused an
injurious drain of specie towards the Eastern States for the benefit
of the East India trade of their merchants. But, Baltimore could
spare the competition in this respect, as it had not sufficient capital
for such long ventures, though it had the enterprise to embrace both
trades. The town increased in people and prosperity. In time, new
money facilities increased ; healthy capital came with healthy trade ;
insurance offices were incorporated; and, while European imports
were sold privately, West Indian produce was commonly disposed
of in large quantities, if not in entire cargoes, at the great auction
sales which, became celebrated throughout the states as a "specialty"
of Baltimore. Nor, should we forget in this enumeration of the
material progress of Baltimore, that our merchants and intellectual
men did not neglect their minds, nor the minds of their children, in
this prosperous period; for it was in 1795, that they established the
old Library Company, and under the influence of Bishop Carroll and
Rev. Dr. Bend, made that splendid collection of the best works of
the day and age, which, within a few years past, was merged, and is
stiil preserved, in the collections of the Maryland Historical Society.
It was time for the town, thus grown flourishing, and cultivated,
— the centre of a polished society, unsurpassed by its rival, An-
napolis,— to assert its dignity, and to discard its village cognomen.
Accordingly, in 1796, on the last day of the year, Baltimore was, by
the General Assembly, declared of age, and became a City, after an
adolescence and minority of sixty-seven years from the date of its
birth on the " sixty acre lot" we long ago described. It had earned
its manly emancipation by hard work, under provincial bondage and
revolutionary war, followed up by prompt perception and use of ad-
vantages, the founders had secured in selecting its birthplace. In
the six years from 1790, the town had "waxed, but never waned."
In this year, Judge Jones, who resided at North Point, on the Pa-
tapsco, counted, in passing to Baltimore, no less than 109 ships, 162

60 HISTORICAL SKETCH

brigs, 350 sloops and schooners, and 5,464 of the " bay craft," or
small coasters, so well known in the traffic between the eastern
and western shores of the Chesapeake. The shad, herring, oyster
and other fisheries had grown to consequence, as ma}^ be judged
from the large number of these smaller vessels. And, according to
the published reports, the value of merchandise entered at our Cus-
tom-house for exportation from 1st October, 1790, to 1st October,
1791, was $1,690,930; same period in 1792, $1,78l,861; in 1793,
$2,092,660; in 1794, $3,456,421; in 1795, $4,421,924; making, in
all, $13,444,796 ; while the exports from the whole State of Maryland
for the same time were $20,026,126 ; showing that our City already
exported two-thirds of the whole amount sent forward by the State.
The tonnage of the State, reported soon after the adoption of the
constitution, was 36,305 tons of registered and 7,976 tons of licensed
and of enrolled vessels ; but, in 1795, the former was 48,007 tons, and
the latter, 24,470 tons ; of which the proportion of the District of
Columbia north of the Potomac was about one-seventh. So that, in
five years only, the proportion of smaller vessels which, at the first
period, had been less than one-fourth of the larger kind, had become
equal to one-half of the increased tonnage, and afforded a conspicu-
ous evidence of the great and growing importance of the Chesapeake
Bay and its fringe of opulent tributaries.

In these years many efforts had been made to add institutions,
societies and churches, some of which were successful while others
miscarried. The p. oject for an Exchange failed, but the wharves
of Judge Chase, of Mr. Thomas Yates, of Cumberland Dugan, and
Thomas McElderry, were successful ; as was, also, the establishment
of several Lodges of Free Masons, and of a company of mounted
Volunteers, under Captains Plucket and Moore, and Samuel Hollings-
worth ; of Artillery, under Captain Stodder, and of Riflemen, under
Captain Allen. In 1794, the site of a Hospital for the accommoda-
tion of strangers and seamen had been selected, and an Asylum for
these purposes was, alter some time, erected. The yellow fever raged
here in that year, and in 1797 and 1799; recurring again in 1800,
1819, and 1820. The earlier epidemics were the most fatal,
depriving the city of many valued citizens, and causing all who
could escape from the town to fly to the adjoining country, which
was exempt from the malady. There the more opulent of our
merchants and professional men selected sites for villas on the sur-
rounding hills, and erected many of the country residences which, in
the march of the city northward and westward, are becoming gradu-
ally absorbed within our "limits of direct taxation." It should be

OF BALTIMORE. 61

mentioned, too, it was at this period that the old fort, erected in
preparation for the Revolutionary War on Whetstone Point, was
repaired, and the "Star Fort"' of brick erected, the ground being
roiled to the United States, and the work called Fort McHenry, in
honor of our Maryland Colonel, the Secretary of War. The demand
abroad for our Hour stimulated the " milling interests" of our city,
and the abundant water-power on Jones's Falls was taken advantage
of by the erection of a new mill within a mile of navigation, while
Gwynn's Falls was also improved by a mill-race, with sufficient fall,
in succession, for at least three mills, within three miles of the city's
wharves. In consequence of these enterprises of the Penningtons,
Ellicotts, Taggerts, Tysons, and Hollingsworths, the manufacture of
flour was greatly increased, so that but little wheat, in bulk, was
subsequently exported from our city. Messrs. Gartz and Leypold,
some ten years before this, had erected a sugar refinery in Peace
alley, on the east side of Hanover street, between Conway and
Camden streets; while Mr. John Frederick Amelung came from
Germany with a number of experienced glass manufacturers, and
erected an extensive factory on the Monocacy, in Frederick county,
whence, towards the close of the century, the works were removed,
enlarged, and re-established on the south side of the Basin, at the
foot of Federal Hill, under the auspices of Mr, John F. Friese, and,
in later days, of the Bakers. In 1798, the property of the city,
subject to taxation, was valued at £699,519, 9 shillings and 2 pence ;
and the revenue of the city from all sources, was $32,865.

Nor were spiritual matters neglected. The Presbyterians and the
Baptists had erected new, or improved their first Churches. The
Methodists, as early as 1784, procured from John Wesley, in Eng-
land, the appointment of a " Superintendent," in the person of Dr.
Thomas Coke; and, on Christmas day, the first great "conference"
of that Society was held in Baltimore. Dr. Coke, assisted by other
preachers who came with him, constituted a new Church; and, on
the presentation of sixty preachers, conferred equal powers with his
own on the Rev. Francis Asbury. During the following year the
Society sold the original Church in Lovely lane, and built the one
in Light street, which has just yielded place for a new highway in
modern Baltimore, on the opening and continuation of German
street, eastwardly, from Charles to South.

The Reverend Dr. John Carroll of the Roman Catholic Church,
who, in the early part of the Revolution had, with Benjamin Frank-
lin, Samuel Chase, and his nephew Charles Carroll of Carrollton,
been employed by the Congress in a political mission to Canada,

62 HISTORICAL SKETCH

was consecrated Bishop in England, and returned to America in
1790, to reside in Baltimore. The original Catholic Chapel on Sara-
toga street, has been already mentioned. In 1796, a small ecclesias-
tical edifice was built on Fell's Point, and, eleven years afterwards,
succeeded by St. Patrick's, on the present Broadway. Other Roman
Catholic Churches were erected as the demands of the increasing
population, of that creed, required ; and, among them, we may
especially single out for its remarkable beauty, grace and symmetry,
the Chapel of St. Mary, erected by Maximilian Godefroy, for the
Society of St. Sulpice which had established a College for lay
students, and a Seminary for theological studies, on the extensive
grounds still owned and occupied by it, between Paca street and
Pennsylvania avenue. It was not until 1806, that the foundations
of the great Metropolitan Church, or Cathedral, were laid according
to the designs of Mr. Benjamin H. B. Latrobe ; the completion and
consecration of which, however, in 1821, Dr. Carroll, who had
become an Archbishop, did not live to witness.

The European governments were not slow in perceiving the avidity
with which " Young America " threw herself into commerce, and
took advantage of the political quarrels and wars which ensued from
the French revolution. They were surprised, perhaps, to see that
a nation of farmers, planters and traders, could so quickly transform
itself into an energetic community of sailors and merchants. They
saw that our peaceful neutrality was rapidly strengthening us in
wealth, material power, and all the elements of national solidity
which would soon make the new a formidable rival of the old world,
at least on the sea. "While they quarrelled, fought, failed to produce
the necessaries of life, and destroyed each other's fleets and com-
merce, we rested quietly as observers of the conflict, both producing
and carrying for any belligerent who wished to buy and had the
ability to pay for his purchases. Each nation, however, while it
was willing to receive from us, was unwilling that his enemies
should be furnished; and hence the weapons with which they
assailed our commerce, by real and "paper" blockades as well as by
" Decrees and Orders in Council." But these, instead of alarming
or deterring our seamen and merchants, stimulated them to sock
means for their evasion. They were brave, bold and willing to
incur personal and pecuniary risks. Baltimore, however, was pecu-
liarly successful by reasons of the fleetness of her craft. The great
inland navigation of the Chesapeake and its affluents, had, at an
early colonial period, excited the rivalry of the people dwelling on

OF BALTIMORE. 63

our waters in the construction of fast sailing vessels. The model
of what was, at that clay, known as the " Virginia Pilot Boat," was
unsurpassed elsewhere in America, and not even approached in
Europe. The schooners and brigs built in this style, and larger
vessels erected on the same principles, and commanded by expert
and daring masters, soon became the sovereigns of the West Indian
trade, and even of some of the European traffics ; so that, in the
hands of intelligent merchants, they were the instruments of extra-
ordinary enterprise and success. No one resource contributed so
much to the rise of Baltimore as these " skimmers of the seas," and
it is strange that their mould was for many years, unmatched out-
side of the Chesapeake Bay. The secret of the Maryland builders
was in the construction of schooner- rigged craft, which would "lay
their course " within four or four and a-half points of an adverse
wind, while they made comparatively little lee-way ; so that, when
they got the " weather-gage," or " to windward " of pursuers, it
was vain for vessels of any other construction or model to follow or
chase them.

Baltimore's commerce in such vessels continued with uninter-
rupted success and profit from the outbreak of the European wars
to the peace of 1801. The great trade of our city with San Domin-
go, and the West Indies generally, furnished a surplus of colonial
merchandise, which was not commonly carried from the Islands to
Europe, but concentrated here, to furnish, with our staples, cargoes
for the various markets of England and the Continent. This, of
course, employed an increased amount of shipping; and Baltimore
became the regular entrepot between Europe and the West Indies.

Our town, at this epoch, began to participate in the East Indian
trade. At the best period of the Batavian traffic, Baltimore came
in for a considerable share. Several ships were engaged in the Ben-
gal and Coromandel commerce ; but it was late when attention was
pointedly directed to China. The commerce with Canton from
Baltimore never flourished, as there was much difficulty in dispos-
ing of the return cargoes; and, in this respect, the Northern States
obtained, and long held the advantage over Baltimore, and will
probably continue to hold it, until the direct importations of San
Francisco, are poured into our city by the shortest line of railroad,
about the fortieth degree of northern latitude ! But, if we had no
quantities of Indian or Chinese merchandise, European manufac-
tures were accumulated in vast amounts ; indeed Baltimore became
the great American market for European goods : a single house
paying $300,000 import duties, in one year, on German linens alone.

64 HISTORICAL SKETCH

Unfortunately, however, this successful carrying trade, tempted our
merchants to permit a system of long or liberal credits on sales of
merchandise, creating a large, and sometimes fictitious paper capital,
which was again employed in fresh enterprises. Still, every thing
seemed adding to the wealth of the city, though it is not to be denied
that some wild speculations and consequent losses occasionally embar-
rassed the prosperous march of our merchants. According to the
first census, taken by the General Government, in 1790, the popula-
tion of Baltimore town, of all descriptions, was 13,503; while the
census of 1800, showed it to be 31,5 14 ; being an increase of 18,011 ;
in ten years, demonstrating that the city had actually doubled its
numbers in seven years and a half of this decade!

Yet it is not to be supposed that all these results were always
serenely accomplished. The vessels of our merchants, swift as they
were, still were not omnipotent ; so that the " decree" and " orders
in council," were not simply political vexations that could be evaded
or avoided, but occasional^ became harmful by the captures and
depredations the}T sanctioned, whenever the foreign cruisers caught
a tardy sailer. Many merchants became their own insurers, when
they owned a craft of unquestionable swiftness ; but others thought
it better to pay the high premiums demanded for war risks, though
they did not like these significant sums to go out of Baltimore to the
underwriters of Xew York and Philadelphia. Accordingly, Insur-
ance Companies were established here; and, notwithstanding the
large depredations on our trade, these domestic institutions paid
enormous dividends to the stockholders.* The tempting risks of
insurance, with exorbitant premiums in wTar time, were but types
of the temper, into which the successful trade we have described,
betrayed many of our people. Enterprise, at times, degenerated into
adventure. The unequalled success of some encouraged others to
engage in commerce without knowledge of its principles or practical
details. This created unwise competitions for certain articles, always
enhancing the prices and generally ending in losses, if not in the ruin
of the wilder speculators. Still, this gambling in merchandise, while
it unsettled markets, often amounted to nothing more than a change
of its ownership, — the loss being simply that of the fictitious values
given to merchandise by reckless adventurers. ITence, the commu-
nity, at large, were gainers, especially when the object of competition
happened to be a staple product of the country ; for, in that case, the

* Baltimore Ins. Co., Maryland Ins. Co., established 1795 ; Chesapeake, Union
and Marine Companies in 1804 ; Patapsco ami Universal Companies in 1813.

OF BALTIMORE. G5

farmer or planter, was generally sure to realize for himself the
imaginary value affixed by the speculator. Very often, too, the
adventurous losers happened to be foreigners, with whom there was
but little sympathy : — a signal instance of which happened in the
article of tobacco about the year 1798, when the exorbitant, specu-
lation prices of this staple, caused such losses, introduced so many
vile practices in the trade, and so unsettled the values' of inferior
qualities, that its cultivation was for a time abandoned, in favor of
wheat. Xevertheless, with these few blemishes on its prosperity, the
period from 1793 to the end of that century, has been characterized
to us by an experienced merchant of the olden time, as the " zenith
of Baltimore's prosperity ;" for, although much of the increase of
population, improvement, wealth, and general prosperity, became
apparent in after years, yet they were all the results of the substan-
tial benefits of those seven or eight years of opportunities wisely
seized by intelligent enterprise.

Xor was it seafaring success and European trade alone that made
Baltimore populous and rich ; — these gave it a monopoly of the
American grain and tobacco trade, but its capacity to sell and deliver
by land, as well as its capacity to produce and carry by sea, made
it the most accessible mart of foreign merchandise and produced
its opulence. Hence the extension of settlements in the " \Vestern
Country,"— as the borders of the Ohio, and the intermediate region
were then called, — caused a great influence on our prosperity, and soon
began to demonstrate (as water demonstrates its natural channels
in descending) that Baltimore was, and, in fact, still is the original
and natural terminus of our internal trade, indicated by the physical
geography of the country. Baltimore had alreadj^ drawn to herself
not only the greater part of "Western commerce, but also of the
adjacent states ; insomuch that the secondary ports on the Chesa-
peake and its affluents, declined and finally became tributary to our
city.

The navigation of the Mississippi was still unopened, and steamers,
as yet, were undreamed of. Baltimore approached, nearer than any
other seaport, to the Western navigable waters ; while all the great
roads, from the richest countries of the interior, penetrating Mary-
land, Virginia, the Carolinas, and Pennsylvania, concentrated natu-
rally at this point as the nearest outlet. Thus our metropolis,
young as she was, having commerce with all the world, was able to
supply every demand on the most favorable terms, and this demand
became regular, various and extensive.

The growth of trade required the addition of banking capital, and

66 HISTORICAL SKETCH

accordingly new banks were incorporated. One of the principal
modes of disposing of the large cargoes of foreign produce —
European as well as Colonial — was, at that early time, necessarily,
by auction ; for Baltimore, of course, could not consume its imports,
and was from its vast accumulations of merchandise, owing to its
carrying trade and facile position in the country, really the great
continental wharf of the new Confederacy. The auction houses
were limited to three only, operating on a large scale in disposing
of cargoes. Most of the Colonial produce, either for consumption
or exportation, was thus sold, and so even the East Indian and
Chinese cargoes, as well as the assorted importations from France
and the Mediterranean, especially wine, brandy and gin ; while
British manufactures were seldom disposed of except by private sale.
Thus, the Treaty of Amiens, in 1801, found our citizens exten-
sively and profitable occupied with commerce all over the world,
and it was, luckily, the short duration of the peace that prevented
many of those bad results, which commonly befal enterprises begun
in war, and winding up after an abrupt cessation of hostilities.
The colonial system was, at once, rigorously enforced by the
European states, so that our vessels were nearly shut out from the
West Indian Islands. Accordingly, our redundant shipping remained
unemployed, our seamen idle, and business grew languid in compari-
son with the preceding era of adventurous prosperity. Fortunately,
during this short truce of arms, a partial failure of the grain crops
occurred in Europe, so that an opening of the British ports introduced
considerable activity into this branch of commerce, and relieved our
prolific State. But the recommencement of warfare in 1803, again,
for a short period, cleared the field for mercantile enterprise, which
was rewarded by success nearly equal to the prosperity of the first
epoch. Our trade, however, was, perhaps, not as extensive and
prompt as it would have been, had not much capital been withdrawn
from active commerce, in the two years' interval of peace, while,
much also had been lost or was locked up by failures. Vexed and
depredated on as our merchants had been, between 1788 and 1800,
the resumption of hostilities was a signal for fresh molestations by
the belligerents. Neutral commerce — which might then have been
considered exclusively American commerce — was excluded by all
the military, naval and diplomatic machinery, that could be devised
to intimidate our enterprise, and thwart our adventurous traders.
Blockades and Orders in Council by England, were retaliated on by
a variety of prohibitory decrees by France —the scheme growing
into what was termed the "■Continental System," and almost shut-

OF BALTIMORE. 67

ting us out from all adventures, that were not conducted under
every kind of hazard and disadvantage. Yet, during this time,
and with but short interruption since the revolution in San
Domingo, a close, active and extensive intercouse with that island,
was carried on from Baltimore, notwithstanding the risks and
prohibitions. Our swift vessels, were again our best friends; and
the merchandise the}' carried, to and fro, was lucrative on account
of the very risks which attended its transportation.* About this
time, especially, the trade was conducted extensively, in armed
vessels ; and a great portion of San Domingo produce — then princi-
pally coffee, was concentrated at Baltimore, where it would have
become a vast resource for the carrying craft of the country, had it
not been for the belligerent vigilance, which naturally became more
and more severe with the continuance of the wars. Nevertheless,
under all these difficulties, Baltimore enterprise did not relax. Our
merchants still had their swift schooners, and their daring captains
who often and successfully eluded all impediments, until the vexa-
tions became insupportable, producing the Embargo Act of 1808,
as a retaliatory measure f This act suspended all our commerce for
nearly eighteen months ; but it had the salutary effect of enabling
our merchants to collect their widely scattered property from distant
parts of the world ; so that when the embargo was removed, the
state of the continent of Europe left hardly a single port open for
our trade, which, it ma}' be supposed, was resumed not only with
embarrassment, but with more caution than before. All the coasts
of Europe, from the Elbe to the Turkish frontier, with the exception
of the Spanish Peninsula, were effectually blockaded ; so that we

* The Exports fiom Maryland— nearly all from Baltimore — from October,
1805, to October, 1806, were :

Domestic produce, $3,001,131

Foreign produce, 10,919,774

Total, $14,580,905

The receipts into the U. S. Treasury, from this port for 1800, were $1,224,897
" " " " " 1807, " 1,440,527

\ Early in 1807, a company was organized in Baltimore, to procure regular
supplies of Calcutta and Chinese merchandise, in demand among us, and for which
we had hitherto been indebted to New England merchants. Robert Gihnor, Senior,
was President, and James A. Buchanan, Vice President. The ships London Packet
and William Bingham, were sent out and returned during the embargo. The
company, it is said, realized a substantial dividend ; but was then dissolved. The
receipts from customs at Baltimore, in 1807, was $1,440,527, and from postages
$29,950.

The assessed valuation of taxable property in Baltimore, in 1808, was $2,522,870.

68 HISTORICAL SKETCH

wore thoroughly excluded, except by special licenses, which then
began to be granted, for " valuable considerations," by the French
government. With these licenses, and our Clipper craft, Baltimore
continued almost always to elude the British cruizers or blockades,
and thus our commerce with the interdicted states of the old world
became almost a monopoly. Both outward and homeward cargoes
were extremely valuable ; the former consisting of Colonial produce
aa well as flour, tobacco and cotton — which then bore high prices on
the European Continent ; while the return cargoes of French fabrics,
(then substituted for those of England, excluded by the non-inter-
course of the United States,) produced much of the future
substantial wealth of this community.

Notwithstanding the hazard of these voyages, the nature of the
risks and the modes of avoiding them were so well understood, that
insurances were effected, either with the regular companies or with
private persons, by which means a greater number of individuals
became interested, and information was more generally diffused.
The business of " underwriting" became lucrative and important,
and obtained a great degree of reputation for those who pursued it
properly. Premiums for these hazardous voyages were, of course,
high — ranging from 25 to 35 per cent, for the single passage — which
the enormous profits enabled the merchant to pay with entire con-
venience.*

The war on the Peninsula of Spain required large supplies of pro-
visions, which, from the termination of the Embargo to the beo-innino;
of our war with England, in 1811, afforded employment and relief for
that part of our merchant marine that could not be safely engaged
in the trade we have been describing. The flour and salted provi-
sions— staples abundantly supplied by Baltimore in great perfection
— gave our people an opportunity to furnish these necessaries of
life : an opportunity and benefit which, by no means, pertained to
the greater eastern marts of the United States.

Such was our commercial condition until 1811 and even 1812;
when the war which was declared against Great Britain did not, at
first, much affect trade as it was then situated. The commerce with

* The exports of Maryland, principally from Baltimore, of domestic and foreign
produce, which, in 1S07, amounted to $14,308,984 fell, in 1808, to $2, 721,100, and
rose again, in 1809, to $6,627,826. In March, 1800, Congress raised the embargo,
and trade revived. The tonnage of that period (of Baltimore) was 102,4;)4, and of
the whole State 148,892. In 1810, the population of Baltimore and precincts was
46,555. White males, 19,01.1; white females, 17,147 ; other free persons, 5,671 ;
slaves, 4,672.

OF BALTIMORE. 69

France became rather more active and general, while the British
cruisers did not molest homeward bound ships on legal voyages ; nor
did the British Government decline to grant special licenses for trade
in provisions to the Peninsula. It was imperative on her to feed
plentifully her soldiers in Spain. A large importation of British
manufactures took place at this conjuncture, owing to some cessation
of non-intercourse, which had been contingent on a revocation of
certain British orders in council. This happened to be a seasonable
supply, when the country was very destitute of that kind of mer-
chandise, and yielded immense profits to all concerned.

But, with the war declared and active, Baltimore, even in its first
year, began already to feel the advantage she had in her fleet and
superior vessels. The enemy's ships occupied only the entrance of
the Chesapeake, so that our craft navigated the bay as unmolested
as on the ocean. Numerous privateers were fitted out, and soon
came back successful, making valuable prizes, carrying the greater
part of them, unharmed, into ports of the United States. Compara-
tively, indeed, it may be asserted, that commerce was rather relieved
by the war from the restraints imposed on "neutrality." Every
enterprise now became lawful, except direct intercourse with the
enemy. But, if we could slip out to sea in our smaller craft, we
were not allowed to navigate our larger vessels without greater risks
than were justifiable. At the close of 1811, a blockade of the Dela-
ware and Chesapeake was declared, and all the licensed ships return-
ing from the Spanish Peninsula were turned off from the entrance of
our bay to New York or some eastern port, so that, during the war,
Baltimore was stripped of her larger vessels. As the conflict lasted,
the enemy became more vigilant in its second and third years —
getting entire possession of our Chesapeake — making it next to im-
possible to get our small and swiftest vessels to sea, and absolutely
impossible to re-enter the Capes and return to Baltimore. The
British knew both our people and the capacity of their craft, and
accordingly aimed to imprison the Baltimoreans within their own
State, and reduced them to obedience by shutting them hermetically
from the pursuit of a commerce for which they were so apt and
greedy. Yet, the enemy mistook the character of our townsmen.
The irresistible blockade was only a stimulus of our forefathers' in-
vention. Enterprise was not abandoned. If they could not ply
their trade from their own town directly, they resorted to more
accessible ports, so that it may be now truthfully said of this period,
that " the commerce of the United States became the commerce of
Baltimore." Our people were, in fact, irrepressible in enterprise,
6

70 HISTORICAL SKETCH

either in peace or war; a characteristic which, without boasting, may
be attributed to them, (with few intermissions,) from the Indepen-
dence to the present day. Mr. Niles, in his " Register," asserts that
three-fourths of the commerce of the United States had been prose-
cuted from Baltimore or from other parts of the country, on account
of Baltimore merchants, in vessels of the Chesapeake construction.

Events took place about this time which had a marked effect on
the subsequent commercial interests of our City. The first Bank of
the United States, established in 1791, had hitherto, with the banks
in the chief cities, furnished a uniformly circulating medium, suffi-
cient for all the legitimate purposes of commerce. But when the
charter of the National Bank expired in 1811, and a renewal of it
was refused, a great number of local banks were created throughout
the United States. The enemy's early blows were struck at the
heart of the country ; so that with the Chesapeake shut, and Bal-
timore and the secondary ports in the neighborhood excluded from
the sea, commerce retreated to Eastern and Southern cities which
were still comparatively unmolested. So, it was soon perceived that
the specie of the intermediate ports between the North and East
would be drawn to places of greater activity, to the harm of the
local banks whence it was drained, and, of course, to the detriment
of the commerce of which it had been the basis. Recourse was
consequently had to suspension of specie payments by the banks of
the Middle and Southern sections of the Union. It was a measure
dictated by necessity, and would certainly have been wise, if proper
moderation had been practiced in the creation of fresh supplies of
currency. It happened, at this time, too, that British exchange was
cheap all over the mercantile world, and especially so in America,
falling as low as twenty per cent, under par, and seldom being better
than ten per cent, below it, This gave, naturally, a wide margin for
fictitious values to the new currency issued by the greedy banks,
which felt no longer the salutary restraint of specie equivalents.

The wants of the general government tor war purposes constantly
increased, and could only be supplied in this medium. The loans,
if required, were taken up by individuals who were favored by the
banks ; and thus the very exigencies of the nation, and the facility
with which they were gratified, became the means of augmenting
the illusory value of a currency which was poured into the mar-
ket in such quantities that its redemption in coin could only be
expected, if ever, at a very remote period. This inflation was
aided by the exorbitant increase of prices of every species of foreign
merchandise. Market values became double or threefold of what

OF BALTIMORE. 71

they had been before the war. But the banks made large dividends
and large discounts; so that, as merchandise was constantly changing
hands, the successful game in these "counters" was increased in
amount in proportion as it increased in risk. Banks, of course,
multiplied not only in the cities, but in the country ; and thus other
property, besides ordinary merchandise, became swelled in value;
and in turn, was assumed, with its inflation, as the basis of credits
and discounts. Banks and the credit system seemed to have solved
the long sought problem of the "philosopher's stone." Everybody
wanted to be as wealthy as his neighbor. Loans were no longer
limited to merchants, or credit to commercial men. Farmers, me-
chanics, tradesmen, every one who could borrow on whatever he
could pledge, rushed frantically into the arena where the rest were
scrambling for riches; and when, at last, the "day of accounting"
came, it is only surprising that even a wreck was left of what, in
truth, was little more than ink and paper. The merchandise,
which, with its exaggerated values, had, during suspension, been
the basis of credit, was of course, mostly consumed, so that the real
estate and its improvements were the chief relics of this period of
delusion and enchantment. These, luckily, could not be destroyed,
though they might change hands ; so that, with whatever still
existed of substantial material wealth among the prudent who had
not been deluded by the phantom of credit, and with augmented
population and improved property, Baltimore still possessed her
enterprise and zeal to enable her to escape from the crash at its
crisis. This narrative of the first great calamity that assailed our
commerce does not apply exclusively to the period of the war, or to
our city, though Baltimore was a principal focus. It pervaded the
whole county, for the whole country was equally affected by the
destruction of the first Bank of the United States and the creation
of the unregulated local banks. It was natural that such wild and
visionary principles of finance and trade should end in a common
distress, which was not permanently relieved, as we shall see, until
several years after the peace with Great Britain. The only benefit,
or good result from the banking of those days, is to be found in the
facts that, the United States Government was largely indebted to
it, as we have said, for the means of carrying on the war during the
last two years of its duration, and that the Government's responsi-
bility for its loans remained as a source of security and future credit
for the people.

The trade of our city, during the war, was modified and other-
wise affected ; so that while we could no longer ship our staples of

72 HISTORICAL SKETCH

tobacco and flour, the Chesapeake being sealed against our larger
vessels, an extensive intercourse by land,- — North, South and "West —
by wagons, took the place, especially of the coasting trade, which
had also been suspended. Besides this, the supply of the American
armies required large transportation, and greatly increased consump-
tion; and accordingly, there was no surplus of provisions left un-
profitably on our hands. A modification had also gradually taken
place in the two principal staples of Maryland, — flour and tobacco.
The steadily increasing demands for the armies of Europe, had
caused the price of wheat in America to rise proportionably ; nor,
for several years before our war with Great Britain, did it fall
below two dollars, and sometimes even more, per bushel. Tobacco,
on the other hand, had never entirely recovered from the crisis of
1798-1799, before mentioned, when its culture was so greatly dimin-
ished for that of wheat. Nevertheless, the quantity of this staple,
accumulated during our war, was large, so that the warehouses of
Baltimore were full, and the prices low.*

The reputation of Baltimore for unequalled prosperity and local
advantages, attracted great attention in all parts of the Union as
soon as peace was made in 1815, and commerce resumed its chan-
nels. An influx of sanguine and enthusiastic immigrants imme-
diately took place, and activity pervaded all classes, and every
branch of industry. Founding the hopes of enterprise on former
success, foreign commerce was resumed with avidity. Our ship-
ping was collected from the ports of the United States, where it had
been dispersed and sheltered during the war; while a large accession
to our tonnage had been made by prize-ships captured from the
British, as well as by purchase from Northern ports of the Union.
The trade to China, Batavia, Bengal, and other parts of Asia was
resumed extensively ; all the vast accumulations of produce in the
country were exported to suitable markets, and an equally vast im-
portation of European, and especially British, manufactures was of
course made, in return. Still unrestricted in their issues, the banks
granted almost unlimited facilities to the enterprising, thus creating
"a system of accommodation by the interchange of paper responsi-
bilities," the fatal tendency of which was never thought of as long
as the banks themselves were not pressed. The experiences of disas-

* Tlio assessrd value of property in Baltimore and its precincts in 1813, was
$4,2K0,040 ; but that the City Assessors of those clays were lenient appraisers, is
shown by the fact that the valuation of $3,32;>,848 worth of the same property,
lying exclusively in the city, which was made, in pursuance of an act of Congress,
at current rates, swelled the value to $31,270,20!) !

OF BALTIMORE. 73

ter had not yet been sufficiently warning. The high price of pro-
visions for the supply of the army during the war, and the creation
of a great number of country banks, had heretofore enabled debtors
to pay not only arrears which had been considered desperate, but to
make fresh and extensive purchases, as well as to give them a new
credit, which, of course, they used to its full extent. Real estate went
beyond its former extravagant prices ; yet the increased population
could hardly be accommodated ; so that extensive improvements in
buildings were made while rents in the city became exorbitant. It
was about this time that Baltimore was embellished with many
public edifices; and especially (appropriate as the crown of its
successful commerce) by the splendid Mercantile Exchange, which
still exists, though, in our day, has been sold to the United States
Government for a Post Office and Custom House. The new Court
House, begun in 1805, had been already finished in 1809, when the
old one, that encumbered the centre of Monument Square, was taken
down. The Medical College, on Lombard street, a part of the Uni-
versity of Maryland, was completed in 1812. In 1809 a public foun-
tain was erected on North Calvert street, and, in this year, permission
was given for the erection of " Washington's Monument," which was
commenced, but not completed for many years after. In 1813, the
first steamboat, called "The Chesapeake," was put on the line from
Baltimore to Philadelphia, by way of Frenchtown, the passengers
crossing thence in stages to ]STew Castle, on the Delaware. This was
the enterprise of the late General William McDonald and his asso-
ciates, who owned the old "Packets" to Frenchtown, on the Elk
river, and who, at once, applied the invention on the Patapsco, which
Fulton had proved, on the North river, to be successful. In 1813,
the Masons laid the corner-stone of their old temple, lately abandoned
for the new one on North Charles street. It was in 1811, that Heze-
kiah Niles established here that wonderful repository of valuable
information, which was, for more than forty years, continued by him,
his heirs, and Mr. Jeremiah Hughes, in our city, under the name of
" Niles's Register," and will forever remain a storehouse of facts for
the historians and politico-economists of America. Social life had
improved with all the vast resources of luxury and wealth. The
young men of the city were liberally educated at excellent schools
established by learned persons who came from abroad ; at St. Mary's
College, established by Bishop DuBoing ; or in the universities of
Northern States or of Virginia. Every leading merchant had his
villa on the heights surrounding the city, as well as his dwelling in
the city, which he occupied during the winter, and made renowned

74 HISTORICAL SKETCH

not only for its hospitality, but for the accomplishments of the
beautiful women who presided over it. Indeed, everything bore
the external aspect of great prosperity.

In the meantime, Europe was convulsed by the short, final strug-
gle for. the Empire in France. This did not last long enough to
have any material influence on commerce, except to leave it languid.
The European nations, at the first pacification, had already begun to
become their own carriers ; so that when our shipping returned from
those long or far distant voyages, undertaken directly after our war
with England, we had no longer those exclusive vents for our
Asiatic or Colonial cargoes which we once entirely commanded.
Almost all of these enterprises, it is said, ended in loss. Men began
to see that the peace of Europe, and our consequent deprivation of
the exclusive carrying trade, and all its profits, would unveil a
delusion as to the permanence of a prosperity that had bewildered
every one. The wheel of fortune began to turn slower. The banks
anticipated a quicker demand for the forgotten metals than was
desirable. The circulating medium, or "currency," Buffered, in
exchange, from sixteen to twenty per cent, discount between Boston
and Baltimore. This loss extended in various degrees to the country
banks in proportion as they lost credit ; traders in the interior, were
constant losers by the decline of the currency around them, and
consequently were unable to pay the wholesale dealers, from whom
they had bought, except in the depreciated medium, which had
diminished in value since the date of their purchases. This pro-
duced great inconvenience; and the equalization of the currency
throughout the land was, of course, the problem of the time. Gold
and silver coin had nearly disappeared in the Middle States, or it
was locked up by the few provident men who had foreseen disaster.
There was no danger of drain of the precious metals on foreign
account ; for the price was generally too high in proportion to
European exchange, especially with England, whose bills remained
nearly at par with our paper currency as long as specie payments' by
the Bank of England was suspended. It would, accordingly, have
been quite safe to suffer this paper medium to subsist, under proper
modifications and provisions for its gradual reduction or redemption,
as the national finances would permit. But, there were men who
believed that the establishment of a new National Bank, was the
panacea lor nil monetary maladies; and, accordingly, the Bank of
the United States was re-established upon the principle that its
paper, (which was to supply the whole country with an equalizing
medium,) should be redeemable in gold and silver. How this was to

OF BALTIMORE. 75

be done, under the circumstances of the country, and especially of
the Middle States or of Baltimore, without a ruinous subversion of
credit and order, was a mystery to those of our merchants who
reflected calmly, and perhaps disinterestedly, on the matter. Yet,
on this principle, the new Bank of the United States went into
operation, and several millions of dollars of specie were 'purchased
abroad to stock its vaults with the metallic basis of credit. It
became, of course, necessary for the State banks to prepare likewise
for coin payments ; especially as orders from the United States
Treasury to the Collectors, were abrupt and positive, forgetting
entirely the relief which those very banks, by means of their paper
currency alone, had been able to afford the Government in its utmost
need during the war of 1812. Neither the banks nor commerce were
prepared for so sudden a curtailment of discounts as this measure
required, and devices to stay disaster, if not to overcome it, were
invented in all quarters with more or less success, frequently with
positive ruin. Institutions and individuals pressed each other ;
there was a scramble for gold and silver ; and, for the most part,
whatever of private credit remained, was employed in hazardous
enterprises for the purpose of raising money for the moment.

The facilities offered by the Bank of the United States for sub-
scribing to its stock, and paying by instalments, in the very money of
the bank itself, induced many men, who had influence in procuring
facilities, to embark deeply in the venture, believing doubtless in its
rapid rise in value.* In reality, and quite naturally, the stock
advanced in price ; and the delusion of successful adventure, tempted
the adventurers still deeper in the game. Bat the gold-phantom —
borrowed from abroad — soon fled back from the American to its
European vaults ! The borrowing Bank of the United States
speedily began to feel the same malady that affected the community
and other banks. It had to press its debtors ; the value of its stock
became diminished ; things went back faster than forward ; the
administration of the institution became unpopular ; no sympathy
was felt for its embarrassments ; a harsh investigation probed its
situation and prostrated its credit ; so that in a short time the stock
fell from 125 to 90 per cent., which was an immediate loss to the

* Subscriptions to the new Bank of the United States were opened for a capital of
$28,000,000; $4,014,100 of which were subscribed here, in the name of 15,610
persons, principals and proxies. A branch was opened in Baltimore in 1817 ;
James A. Buchanan, President, and James W. McCulloh, Cashier ; upon which, the
banks generally resumed the specie payments which had been stopped for several
years.

76 HISTORICAL SKETCH

mass of stockholders of upwards of twelve millions. It sealed
the fate of many who had made a desperate grasp in this wheel of
fortune : and, with their fate, Baltimore was most sensibly linked
and affected in 1818 and 1819. Many of our citizens had incau-
tiously»adventured the principal part of their means in this vaunted,
but ill-contrived, and ill-managed institution ; so that the city met
a severe loss in the reverses of its people. They were prostrated by
the blow ; and it is from this period that the falling off in the pros-
perity of Baltimore may fairly be dated. There was, indeed, no real
want of sound capital or just credit, but the foundations of confi-
dence and faith between men — that essence of real commerce —
seemed to have been totally destroyed. Taught severe lessons by
excessive enterprise, which, by surprising success, had often degen-
erated into over-trading if not speculation, men grew wary ; and
they who escaped the storm were terrified and became timid. The
exuberance of a commercial spirit that had, in twenty years, built
up a metropolis with a rapidity unequalled in the annals of the
whole world, was due, not only to the superior central situation of
Baltimore, but to the fact that "among the inhabitants by whom
the business of the city was transacted, scarcely one was a native.
They had come together from various quarters of the world, from
England, Scotland, Ireland, Germany ,KHolland, New England, and
the Middle and Southern States. Each emigrant had his personal
motives ; but it was the spirit of enterprise that brought him here,
and without it he would have staid at home." Baltimore, in the
founding of the nation, was a national ^geographico-commercial
and trading focus of concentration ; and it would be well for us and
our friends everywhere to recur to these facts oftener than we
do, when appalled, and in some degree paralyzed, by the efforts
of rival cities or rival states. Enterprise and aggregation from
abroad, uniting fresh blood and fresh spirit in the employment of
capital, were the predominant characteristics of the men who
thronged to Baltimore immediately after the Revolutionary War ;
and who, uniting and inter-communicating their knowledge of the
markets and commercial proceedings of the countries whence they
emigrated, gave that wonderful and long-continued impulse to
business, which was only injured by its unwise excess. This une-
qualled prosperity, with the few drawbacks we have noticed, lasted
until 1815.* From that time, the temper of our people and the

*Tlic arrivals hero from sea in 1816 were 07 foreign and 436 American vessels ; the
tonnage, registered and licensed, was 104,960 tons. In this year the Gas Company
erected its works, and was the lust in the country to give a general city supply.

OF BALTIMORE. 77

former nature of their trade, were unsuited for the altered condition
of Europe on the cessation of the wars that had deluged it with
blood for twenty-five years. The conditions of foreign peace had not
been anticipated: the future had not been guarded against; we had
lived and believed too much in the present and actual alone ; so it
was well said by a resident of those days, that "the very enterprise,
which in other times wrought so much for public and private good,
now opened a broad road to ruin and disaster."

Nevertheless, during the period we have been describing, there
were important fluctuations in the principal staple commodities of
the United States, creating great commercial activity, and often em-
ploying advantageously large amounts of capital and shipping.

After the convulsions of Europe subsided, the manufactories of
the Old World recmired a prompt and increased supply of our raw
staples. Cotton was the first product of America that felt the
influence of this fresh demand, so that shipments directly after the
war yielded large profits, while the home prices rose, correspond-
ingly, to a figure that had never been reached before. The price of
" upland cottons of Louisiana" was from thirty-three to thirty-five
cents per pound, and those of South Carolina (then not so much
valued as the cottons of Louisiana) were nearly as high in the market.
As this continued for two seasons, the greater part of two crops was
sold at these extraordinary rates: but, at the close of 1817, the
prices suddenly fell with the demand in Europe, so that as much,
if not more, money than was gained, is said to have been lost by
the speculators. Although this is not a staple of our State, still
Ualtimoreans, whose vigor and capital had not been exhausted, par-
took largely in the trade, and doubtless suffered in a corresponding
degree.

"While war lasted for so many years in Europe, the Continent had
almost abandoned the use of Maryland tobacco, finding substitutes
for the soothing weed so much cherished by the soldiers of later days.
This, of course, reduced the cultivation; and a reduced cultivation,
naturally contributed to a reduction of consumption. Accordingly,
the first shipments of our formerly lucrative staple, found indifferent
encouragement from foreign merchants. Nevertheless, the taste for
the article had only been dormant. The appetite for it returned with
the new temptation ; and when the factories and manufactures were
re-established after peace, and labor began to be recompensed once
more, the demand was at once restored. Competition soon became
great ; and the European prices rising even higher than the prices of
cotton had done, there was consecmently a simultaneous increase of

78 HISTORICAL SKETCH

rates on this side of the Atlantic, which were maintained, with occa-
sional fluctuations, for several years. It certainly revived the culti-
vation of tobacco in Maryland, so that yearly crops which, at the
close of the war, hardly exceeded 10,000 hogsheads, rose progres-
sively to 15,000, 16,000, 20,000, and 30,000. Baltimore became almost
exclusively the market for this State ; large warehouses being, as we
have seen, built for inspection, storage, and convenience of sale. The
article seldom passed, at that time, directly from the planter to the
exporter, but was commonly purchased by local speculators, who at-
tended at the inspection houses ; and no commodity required more
intimate knowledge of qualities, or a closer attention to the smaller
peculiarities of its trade. It was not, therefore, surprising that it
proved ruinous to adventurers who were neither perfect judges of
the article, nor strictly attentive to every particular, so as to guard
against imposition in a commodity which then varied from two
dollars and a half to twenty dollars per hundred.*

A failure of grain crops in England opened the British ports to
our flour in 1817, 1818, and 1819 ; and kept the staple at what then
were high prices, — eight to ten dollars, and sometimes upwards, —
employing our larger tonnage in the transportation of the needed
breadstuff's. As colonial restrictions at that time, excluded our
shipping from the West Indies, and as countervailing laws prevented
them from furnishing their colonies, in their own vessels, directly
from the United States, a great part of the supply was forced to
reach the colonies by way of England ; and thus the new as well as
the old world demanded our fleet carriers for their necessaries of life.

There is no doubt that such frequent and unexampled conjunc-
tures in trade, commerce, war and opportunity, as we have been
describing in the growth of Baltimore, and especially in the disposal
of its staples, must have been of vast benefit to us and the country
at large by the accession they brought to local and national wealth.
Though money was lost, it was lost to individuals, not to the com-
monwealth. Speculation changed ownership of capital, but did not
destroy it. Hence it would be wrong to infer that the commercial
community partook exclusively of the benefit. Indeed, the experi-
enced merchants declared that almost all the benefits of commerce in

* The gross revenue of the Government accruing here in 1815 from customs was
$4,200,500, including *2S,l<i2 from tonnage. The tonnage of the District is stated
to have heen 107, l;37. The Post-office revenue for the same period in Baltimore was
$58,885. Postage received here by the United States Government, $51,410. The
Maryland tobacco crop of 1818 was 32,2;34 hogsheads ; 13,377 of which wero
shipped from this port, and from Georgetown 8,715 ; and some from other places.

OF BALTIMORE. 79

the staple productions enriched the agriculturist only, the share of
the merchant being mainly and generally in the carrying of the
articles to their ultimate markets ; in fact, that the merchant was
but little more than the medium by which the cultivator realized,
without personal hazard, the benefits of foreign markets, to whose
risks and fluctuations the merchant was continually exposed.

"We have alluded to the introduction of steamboats on the Pa-
tapsco: their introduction on the Western rivers, also, about this
epoch, gradually effected a change in the intercourse between the
Western and Atlantic States. Baltimore, being the commercial
mart, as we have shown, nearest by land to the then Western navi-
gable waters, was the principal source of supply of most of the
"Western and of all Southwestern States. To them we sent all the
heavier kinds of merchandise, and all those colonial supplies known
in trade under the generic name of "groceries." These branches of
traffic opened others of lesser but still important value to our citi-
zens. But, when steam became the motive power on the Ohio, the
Mississippi, and their affluents, the people west of the Alleghanies
be^an no longer to look for the slow " Conestosra wagons" that
brought their commodities over the old " Braddock's road" or modern
turnpikes to Pittsburgh ; or by the other well-known early routes
southwestwardly through Virginia. Their intercourse, though cir-
cuitous, was less toilsome and more continuous and cheaper by water
than by land. New Orleans became the "El Dorado" of the West;
and to that new city they directed their attention as their future
great mart of exchange and supply. Baltimore, of course, felt this
commercial change more sensibly than any of her neighbors. The
opening of the navigation of the Mississippi was a heavy blow to her
trade. Her customers not only diminished in numbers, but many of
them tempted by a new market, became delinquent to the old. Nor
was this change effected by the Western steamers alone. The facili-
ties of traveling, as well as of transporting, had increased even more
rapidly by their introduction on the Eastern rivers. Philadelphia
and New York became accessible to the Western merchants without
the old-fashioned delays and hazard of broken bones in the stage
coaches, which had induced the men of 1805 and 1810 to make
their wills before they ventured to cross the Susquehanna, Dela-
ware, or Raritan, on Northern journeys. In fact, the Western
trader had two or more new Eastern markets bidding for and tempt-
ing him as a purchaser, and he discovered that he could get his mer-
chandise transported by sea and river from New York, on cheaper
terms than formerly, by land, from Baltimore. New York, also,

80 HISTORICAL SKETCH

generally offered a better market for such Southwestern produce
as was not sold at New Orleans ; and thus, steam first began to
outflank our city, both North and South, in its contest for that
"Western continental commerce which its geographical position
originally gave it, and to which its geographical position — and
steam again — must ultimately bring it back. New York soon com-
menced her canals, to compete with the Mississippi, by tapping
the headwaters of the "Western rivers. It will be seen that, in a
few years, warned by these enterprises, Baltimore lost confidence
in turnpikes over mountains, (whether national roads or private
speculations,) and commenced teaching the world how to make
railways, by originating that great first link of the westward
chain, which, lying between the Baltimore and the Ohio river,
must finally bind our city and San Francisco.

In the meanwhile, the revolutions in South America against the
power of Spain, opened a commerce to foreign nations that had been
altogether closed to them by Spanish policy. It opened a new as
well as a rich, though somewhat perilous trade, which our citizens
were not slow in availing themselves of. Whenever our vessels
were not excluded from within the South American ports, they were
sure to find their way through the external difficulties. The Rio
de la Plata, the coasts of Venezuela and New Grenada, or what is
commonly called the " Spanish Main," were the principal scenes of
our activity. Provisions, mainly, constituted the cargoes until the
emigation of the Portuguese Court to Brazil, when, under the
influence of new habits of consumption, a fresh and great market
was opened for our flour. The coasts of Chili and Peru were
successively frequented by our trade in food as well as domestic
and foreign fabrics ; and taught new tastes by the revelation of
modern civilization through liberation from Spanish thraldom.
All these countries have, at various times been, since then, tribu-
taries to our trade and incentives to our enterprise. Our fleet
schooners were some of the first to penetrate the western as well
as the eastern empires of Spain, profiting by the accumulations of
silver and gold which the people had managed to hoard. Our
privatecrsmen even did not hesitate to employ their " clipper"
craft, and to hold commissions under the insurgent governments ;
nor did they fail in making rich captures in their cruises along
the coasts. Among the provinces of old Spain, Mexico, alone,
wanted few or none of our staples, but its people were rich, (in
spite of the Spanish emigration with all its wealth,) and were
eagerly tempted by the new-fashioned European productions and

OF BALTIMORE. 81

manufactures with which they were now first made acquainted.
Our proximity enahled us to take immediate advantage of the
Mexican revolution, under all the difficulties of dangerous navisra-
tion, of want of safe and accessible harbors, and of the exactions
at Vera Cruz by the Spanish forces commanding the fortress of
San Juan d'Ulloa. Baltimore shared, perhaps equally with Phila-
delphia, in the trade with Mexico, and enjoyed an ample, if not
preponderating proportion of the commerce of the whole continent
of South America.

We considered it best to sketch continuously the history of Balti-
more's chief commercial prosperity during the forty years following
the first peace with England, comprising the periods of the great
Napoleonic wars in Europe and of our second war with Great
Britain.

That war, it is well known, was not at first yielded to with
universal assent by the people of the United States. It was opposed
in different parts of the country, and from diverse motives, some
of which were commercial and some political. A meeting of citi-
zens of Baltimore belonging to the Democratic, party of that day,
was called ; and on assembling in great numbers, a large committee
offered the Government of the United States a pledge of support in
case of war with England or France, or with both. On the 18th
of June, 1812, the war against England was declared, and on the
20th a vast collection of people, professing to be offended by the
opposition to the war made by the " Federal " party and its news-
paper organs, attacked and demolished the office, the presses, and
the types of the " Federal Republican," at the northwest corner of
Gay and Second streets. A week afterwards, one of the editors of
that paper, Mr. A. C. Hanson and several friends, having printed
their gazette in Georgetown, brought the issue to Baltimore and
distributed it from the dwelling, in South Charles street, of Mr.
Jacob Wagner, who was the other editor of the " Federal Republi-
can." They were prepared and proposed to defend themselves and
their house. In the evening an affray occurred ; but after killing
one person and wounding others, among the assailants, one or two
mortally, the house on South Charles street was surrendered by its
defenders to the city authorities, while the editors and their friends
to the number of twenty-two, were in the morning conducted, under
a guard of militia and city officials, for safety, to the jail ; where,
on the following night, the imprisoned gentlemen were again
assailed by the mob, and torn from the violated prison. The refu-

82 HISTORICAL SKETCH

gees, generally, were beaten and wounded, while Genl. Lingan, of
Georgetown, was killed, and Mr. Thompson tarred and feathered,
carted to Fell's Point amid the jeers of the crowd, and otherwise
treated with shocking cruelty. The mob seems to have had its
sway, for many peaceful and influential citizens were either timid
and shunned the scene of contention, or were absent in the country
or at watering places. The rioters, by help of darkness and some
artifice, eluded whatever efforts were made to restrain them, and
supposing themselves masters of the city, proceeded to hunt out and
expel all who were distasteful to them. But, at last, threatening to
break open the post office, where the offensive paper had been sent
for distribution by mail, they were finally dispersed, and tranquillity
restored to the city, by the imposing force whose earlier employment
would have saved so much outrage and slaughter. The times were
turbulent and bitter, and the political animosities rankled deeply.
Presentments were found by the Grand Jury against many indi-
viduals of both parties, but all were acquitted and discharged, the
Federal defenders of Wagner's house in Charles street, electing to
be tried at Annapolis, doubtless distrusting the impartiality of their
fellow-citizens of Baltimore.

The sentiment here, however, was doubtless patriotic in the ma-
jority of citizens ; and the continuance of the war, especially with
the impediments it threw in the way of Baltimore's progress by the
close blockade of the Chesapeake Bay, served ultimately to unite
our people in that "era of good feeling" which we remember in our
youth, to have prevailed politically throughout the country. Several
citizens took commissions in the regular army. Among these were
General William H. Winder, George E. Mitchell, Colonel Hindman,
Stephen W. Presstman, Frank Belton, R. C. Nicholas, and that
heroic Marylander, Nathan Towson, who died in the service long
afterwards, and, as chief, made that organization of the Pay Depart-
ment of our Army, which proved so efficient in the late war.
Stephen H. Moore, long known among us, marched as Captain, at
the head of a company of volunteers, to the Canadian frontier.
Captains Barney, Boyle, Stafford, Leveley, Richardson, Wilson and
Miller, fitted out privateers ; and in 1813, when Admiral Warren
entered the Chesapeake with the British Squadron, it was no longer
thought proper to await the preparations which might be made by
the General Government, but that Baltimore itself should under-
take its defence. Accordingly, a Committee of Supply, consisting
of Messieurs Mosher, Luke Tiernan, Henry Pay son, John C. White,
James A. Buchanan, Samuel Sterrett and Thorndick Chase was ap-

OF BALTIMORE. 83

pointed and authorized to spend twenty thousand dollars in guard-
ing our city. This sum was soon found to be insufficient. A meeting
of the citzens was therefore called in their wards and precincts, and
forty gentlemen selected, who advised a loan not exceeding half a mil-
lion of dollars, and an addition to the Committee of Supply of Colonel
John Eager Howard, George Warner, John Kelso, Robert Gilmor,
Christopher Deshon, William Patterson and Mr. Burke. Commo-
dore Barney was appointed to command a flotilla, and was joined
by Solomon Rutter, R. M. Hamilton, T. Dukehart, and others, who
fitted out the little squadron of 13 barges and the schooner Scorpion,
and about 500 men early the next spring, and proceeded down the
bay to watch and harass the enemy.

In April, 1813, General Pike took York, on Lake Ontario, but
lost his life ; Lieutenant Xicholson also fell, and Captain Moore was
desperately wounded by the explosion of the enemy's works. In
June, a nigbt attack on Generals Winder and Chandler, at Stony
Creek, in Canada, was successfully repulsed; yet both of our gene-
rals were taken prisoners. In this action, Towson, Hindman
and Xicholas distinguished themselves conspicuously and were pro-
moted.

In July, 1814, the battles of Chippewa and Bridgewater were
fought, also in Canada ; and there again, Colonels Towson and Hind-
man contributed essentially to the success of our arms, and, after-
wards, defended the long besieged Fort Erie whilst possessed by us.
General Winder being exchanged, was appointed Commanding Offi-
cer of this district, and made preparation to defend his native State.
That veteran of the Revolutionary War, General Samuel Smith,
took the lead in organization and command. Towards the middle
of August, it was ascertained that Admiral Cochran's fleet had
entered the bay with the army commanded by General Ross, intend-
ing doubtless to strike a blow at the National Capital and at Balti-
more, and thus to hold the central parts of the Union. The landing of
the British forces took place, and their march towards Washington
began. The militia that had been ordered to hold itself ready, was
directed to proceed in that direction. General Tobias Stansbury, with
the 11th Brigade of County Militia, inarched towards the District of
Columbia, including in his command the 5th Regiment of Baltimore
Volunteers under Colonel Joseph Sterrett ; a Battalion of Riflemen
under Major William Pinkney ; and two companies of Artillery,
commanded by Captains Magruder and Myers. But our efforts were
not successful. The American troops assembled at Bladensburg
under General Winder, were overpowered by the British, who pro-

84 HISTORICAL SKETCH

ceeded at once to Washington, burnt the public buildings and prop-
erty, and returned triumphant to their shipping in the Patuxent
river. Our valiant little band, sadly battered and diminished, re-
turned to Baltimore, in anticipation, of course, of an attack on the
city. The corporation was aided by a Committee of Vigilance and
Defence. Light entrenchments were hastily thrown up on the north-
eastern side of the town on " Hampstead Hill ;" a redoubt or small
additional fort was placed on the south ; several large vessels were
sunk at the entrance of the harbor betwixt Fort McHenry and the
Lazaretto ; the banks suspended specie payments ; and much valu-
able property was taken by the numerous families that fled to the
interior for protection. General Samuel Smith was conspicuous for
his services during this hasty arming for the defence of the city
which should long since have had the care of the Government.
Every body, white and colored, worked on the entrenchments. From
the city itself, volunteers poured forth for all the military organiza-
tions. There were detachments, also, of Virginia militia and volun-
teers, with Commodores Rodgers and Perry, and Captain Spence of
the Navy, together with a few dragoons, regulars and seamen, under
General Winder ; a company of volunteers from Hagerstown, Mary-
land, and three others from York, Hanover and Lancaster, Pennsyl-
vania.

On the 11th September, 1814, the British squadron appeared off
North Point, and landed General Ross's forces, while the fleet pro-
ceeded further up the river to bombard Fort McHenry. The two
attacks, by land and water, were however successfully repulsed by
the militia and volunteers at the battle of North Point, under
General Strieker, and the regulars and volunteer artillery at Fortr
McIIenry under Major Armistead ; so that the squadron abandoned
its fire and on the 14th proceeded down the river, to re-embark
the retreated land forces which had lost their Commander-in-Chief,
General Ross.

The rapid and successful defence of Baltimore, — due to Smith,
Strieker, Armistead, and the brave officers, militia men, and volun-
teer citizens who obeyed their orders in the field and in the entrench-
ments,— was not without fatal results to several of our worthiest
citizens, who fell either in the field or in the fort, while others, who
escaped with their lives, bore honorable wounds and maimed limbs,
as tokens of their patriotic self-sacrifice. But their memory is indel-
ibly recorded for posterity's example. On the anniversary of the
Battle, in the following year, the foundation stone was laid of the
superb monument which bears their names, in letters of imperishable

OF BALTIMORE. 85

brass, and which was completed by the general and voluntary sub-
scription of their grateful fellow citizens.*

The battle of New Orleans had been fought and gained by our
troops under General Jackson, on the 8th of January, 1815, and on
the 17th of the next month, a treaty of Peace with Great Britain
was ratified, and next day promulgated. The news of the victory at
New Orleans, as well as of the treaty, was received in Baltimore with
joy, by men of all parties ; the houses of our citizens were brilliantly
illuminated, and every one assented to the " Thanksgiving for the
restoration of Peace," which was ordered by the General Govern-
ment.

~No notice of the war of 1812 would be complete, especially one
that recounted the part borne by Baltimore in the conflict with
England, without mention of the remarkable services rendered by
our seamen and captains, in the craft for which our bay and city
were celebrated. What they had been in peace, they continued to
be in war — the "skimmers of the sea;" — save that instead of bear-
ing with their swift wings the merchandise of friendly commerce,
they carried the weapons that destroyed the merchandise of our
enemy. Congress authorized the President to " issue, to private-
armed vessels of the United States, commissions, or letters of
marque and reprisal," in such manner as he should think proper.
Baltimore soon availed herself of these commissions, for her fleet
brigs, schooners, and pilot boats ; and, indeed, most of the future
"privateering" was carried on in vessels built either here or in this
vicinity. Usually manned with fifty seamen, besides officers ; carry-
ing from six to ten guns, with a " Long Tom," on a swivel, in the
centre of the craft ; armed, besides, with muskets, cutlasses, and
boarding-pikes; they were directed to "capture, burn, sink, or de-
stroy," the property of an enemy, wherever it might be found, either
on the high seas or in British ports. The first prize, after the
declaration of war, was sent into Baltimore by the Dolphin, Captain
Stafford, and proved to be a British schooner valued at $18,000.
Others soon followed this lead ; but, as a sufficient sample, in such a
narrative as this, of the successful prowess of our commanders, and
the superiority of our craft, it may be recorded that Commodore
Joshua Barney, in a cruise of forty-Jive days, seized and captured
fourteen vessels — nine of which he destroyed — of an aggregate

* The original Subscription Book for this Monument, was lately found in removing
the papers from the old City Hall, and at present is in the keeping of the City
Register. It should be preserved sacredly in the Library of the new City Hall.

7

86 HISTORICAL SKETCH

capacity of 2,914 tons, manned by 166 men, and valued, as prizes,
at $1,289,000. The result of the Commodore's two cruises in the
" Possie," was 3,698 tons of shipping captured, estimated at a mil-
lion and a-half of dollars, and two hundred and seventeen prisoners !
The Dolphin, commanded by Stafford; The Falcon; The Globe,
commanded by Murphy; The Highflyer, commanded by Gavit ;
The Comet, under " the boldest of privateersmen," Captain Thomas
Boyle ; The Nonsuch, under Captain Leveley ; all " gave good
accounts " of the enemy ; one of Boyle's earliest exploits being the
capture of the British armed ship Hopewell of 14 guns, ship and
cargo sent into Baltimore and valued at $150,000 I His brave and
successful adventures in 1813, in his " Comet " and afterwards in
the famous "Chasseur," "ubiquitous as the Flying Dutchman,"
sometimes on the coasts of Spain, Portugal and France ; then in the
British and Irish channels ; and anon, among the West Indian
Islands, have become matters of history, and fairly rank him with
the greatest of our naval commanders. The " Chasseur " captured
no less than eighty vessels, three of which alone were valued at
$400,000 ; and it was Boyle who issued the burlesque Proclamation
in the British Channel, in which he declared " all the ports, harbors,
bays, creeks, inlets, &c, &c, of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland in a state of rigorous blockade " by the Chasseur;
a proclamation which he sent to London in a cartel, and desired " to
be posted up at Lloyd's Coffee House !" Nor was this proclamation
so ridiculous as it now seems to the sober readers of 1870, for the
fear inspired in England by the daring and success of American
privateers, indescribable to people of our day, may still be judged
of from the fact that "thirteen guineas for one hundred pounds,
was paid to insure vessels across the Irish Channel V

OF BALTIMORE. 87

BALTIMORE:

FROM THE END OF THE WAR WITH GREAT BRITAIN AND OPENING OF THE
SOUTH AMERICAN TRADE TO THE PRESENT TIME.

The periods we have been describing comprise the history of
Baltimore's wonderful and rapid growth in the years succeeding
independence of Great Britain. This growth was so vast that it
has been said to be unexampled in the history of cities. It was
due, first, to the position of the city, geographically, in relation to
the population, productions and internal trade of the whole coun-
try ; secondly, to the assemblage here of mercantile men and others
endowed with unusual energy, enterprise and talent, from all parts of
North America and Europe, to take advantage of the two foremost
staples of flour and tobacco ; thirdly, to the ship-building of our
bay, which adapted a certain class of vessels for freight and fleet-
ness ; and fourthly, to the pertinacious aptitude with which our able
citizens improved their advantages, at all hazards, during the long
European wars, employing their skill not only in domestic trade, as
from a central distributing point, but for a world-wide commerce.
The men and their opportunities were remarkable. They were men
who knew that the greatest success in the pursuit of wealth is not
to be obtained by a community from one branch of business, exclu-
sively, but that importation as well as exportation must combine
with supply, distribution, freight, and commissions, in order to
create a substantial, enduring mart ; in other words, that local pros-
perity, to be lasting, must depend on variety. Accordingly, it is
not strange to see that the handful of 2,000 people dwelling in the
Baltimore-Town of 1756, had increased to only about 5,000 at the
Revolution; but, under independence, had grown to 62,738 in 1820,
an increase of 16,183 from 1810, and of almost 50,000 from 1790.
This was the unwonted civic growth, which was properly chronicled
by one of our soberest historians — Dr. Jared Sparks — as " un-
equalled in the history of cities." This was the time when the
great and early commercial houses, founders of our prosperity,
still controlled it, though many of them were crippled and dis-

HISTORICAL SKETCH

heartened by the financial misfortunes we have described, conse-
quent on the calamities of the Bank of the United States and of
the fatal "accommodation system" that had been practiced. This
was the time, too, when the trade of Baltimore was in the hands
of men, whose names, at least, should be most respectfully preserved
in a work that purports to sketch its history. The leaders in
mercantile circles were, then, Smith and Buchanan, the Gilmors,
William Patterson, the Wilsons, Hollins & McBlair, Dugau, the
Browns, the Olivers, the McKims, the Thompsons, Yon Kapff &
Brune, Mayer & Brautz, Thomas Tennant, Henry Payson, William
Lorman, Henry Schroeder, the Konigs, Carrere, the McCullohs,
the Hotfmans, Luke Tiernan, the Ettings, Garrett, Talbot Jones,
Jacob Albert, Taylor & Keys, Coale, Strieker, Sterrett, Harrison,
Williamson, the Appletons, and others perhaps, whose names do
not recur to us as we write this rapid catalogue.

In other ancillary occupations, and in the professions, engaged
in practice, or in manufacturing, or in agricultural pursuits, or in
political life, were such men as General Smith, Edward Johnson,
William Pinknej^, John Purviance, Bland, Hoffman, Meredith,
Mitchell, Jennings, the AVinchesters, and Nicholsons, Colonel J. E.
Howard, the Carrolls (of both families), Hughes, Pennington, Cooke,
the Ellicotts and Tysons (pre-eminent in many things), Calhoun,
Montgomery, Winder, the Revs. Drs. Bend, Kemp, Inglis, Glendy,
Dorsey, Hollingsworth, Morris, Kell, Giles, Moale, Gibson, Moore,
Rogers, Doctors, Davidge, Donaldson, Alexander, Gibson, De Butts,
McDowell, and many more, all of whom, and in all classes, are still
recollected when named, as persons of distinct individuality, men of
mark, of public spirit, prompt and prominent in every scheme of
merit and enterprise.

The area of Baltimore, built over at that time, was, of coarse, by
no means co-extensive, even as a skeleton, with the present occupied
limits. The thickly inhabited parts of the city in the west were
then confined between Jones's Falls and Greene street, and between
the Basin and Mulberry street; while, in the east, from the Falls to
the extreme end of Fell's Point at Waters's Wharf, there were wide
gaps along the "Causeway," east of Harford Run; while, thence,
north of Baltimore street and cast of Broadway, the county was
still open or occupied by villas and burying grounds. West of the
Falls and north of Saratoga street, the improvements were scattered.
■-1 Howard's Park" was still a wood, nor had the wealthy been per-
mitted yet to purchase sites for future residences among its unfelled
timber. At that day, Hanover street was the "Faubourg St. Ger-

OF BALTIMORE. 89

main" of our city — the quiet haunt of the older aristocracy — and,
at its intersection with Baltimore (then Market) street, stood the
famous "Indian Queen Inn," kept by Gadsby, and, afterwards, by
David Barnum, and almost as renowned among Baltimore " hostel-
ries " as the old "Fountain Inn" of Light street, in which was
shown the untouched room of Washington and the Presidents, until
the building fell, in the march of improvement, during the present
year. Many leading families still dwelt in Sharp, Camden, Barre,
and Conway streets. South Charles street was still occupied by
some of the French refugees and their descendants ; while, north of
Market street, it had become a fashionable quarter, as were, also,
Lexington and Fayette streets leading from it to the " Monument
Square," in which the Smiths, the Buchanans, the Swarms, the Gil-
mors, Williamses, Beattys and Taylors, had erected those stately
mansions now hardly discernible in the Police Buildings, the
Mayor's temporary Headquarters, Guy's Hotel, the Gilmor House,
and the restaurants and sporting houses that have usurped the
homes of the long dead builders. A few merchants of eminence
still kept near the water on Lombard street, where General Samuel
Smith, Sherlock, Robert Gilmor, Junior, the Dugans and Hollinses
had their costly and elegant homes, which are now couverted into
offices or have yielded place for wide rows of substantial ware-
houses. The old Baltimore Library Company, a noble institution in
its day, occupied the Holliday street floor of the "Assembly Rooms,"
— still standing at the corner of Fayette — now the ricketty and
unworthy tenement of the City College, but then the "Almacks"
of Baltimore, and the resort of all the beau monde of our city during
the regular "Assemblies" of every winter, and especially renowned
as the scene of the " Silver Supper," spread therein after the ball
given in the adjoining and connected theatre in honor of Lafayette,
when he last visited us, in October, 1824.

The city was, of course, adorned by many fine residences, the
result of the wealth acquired by our people; but, as yet, no section
had been fixed on as pre-eminently popular, suitable, or fashionable
for an exclusive residence quarter. The consequence was a melange
of old and new, of brick and board, of architectural taste and
rude simplicity. Many of the streets were long unsightly from the
un uniformed, militia-review appearance they presented of tall and
short, of ragged and elegant, until the new comers gave tone to the
district by improving not only the taste but the value of the property
of the earlier inhabitants, thus enabling them to adorn their lots
with costlier buildings. It was not until towards the end of the

90 HISTORICAL SKETCH

third decade of this century that the emigration, northwardly,
along Franklin and Charles streets, began to denote the fashionable
tendency towards "the Park," which, since then, has been shorn of
its forest, leveled into squares, cut into streets, and covered with
churches, institutions of learning, and thousands of exquisite resi-
dences, forming one of the choicest dwelling districts in our country.
Up to that period Washington's Monument, still not quite finished,
loomed up on a stack of bare slopes, washed by gullies descending
from the Monument's base to the natural drain now known as
Centre street. The Cathedral and the Unitarian Church, stood
"solitary and alone" in the midst of unoccupied spaces, while a
house here and there, dotted the distances towards Mulberry and
Saratoga streets. In fact, the town seemed to be thinking about
its next step, and seriously engaged in making up its mind. At
best, it was a sort of outline sketch of proposed grandeur. In the
"New Town" all improvements were but "straggling" from Sara-
toga street northwardly, from Eutaw street westwardly, from Barre
street southwardly, and from Gay street eastwardly ; while in the
"Old Town," all north of Baltimore street, was nearly as bare
of edifices as "Hampstead Hill" or "Callow's Barrow."

This is a time— before the introduction of railways — when it is
proper to make mention of some three or four Old-Baltimore institu-
tions, which are fast fading away in the world's progress: we mean
the vast blue, white-canvased Conestoga wagons, their grand Penn-
sylvanian horses, the Stage Coaches, and the Taverns or Inns, with
their conspicuous " signs," their substantial fare, wide yards, and
liberal stables; and the frocked wagoners and teamsters who drove
or tended their stalwart beasts, for burthen or for market. These
Taverns and their signs were frequent reminders to Englishmen of
the country inns found in every British town and hamlet ; and, alas !
but few of them remain among us of the present generation. These
were still the times of horseback and saddle-bag traveling. Most
of our citizens who have not passed far beyond middle life, will still
remember the "Golden Horse," which swung so gaudily at the
northwestern corner of Franklin and Howard streets; and the
" White Swan," which still floats, like a dim ghost of its former self,
on the sign, a square beyond, at the southeastern corner of Franklin
and Eutaw, while the "Golden Lamb" reclined on its rich yellow
fleece, until a few years ago, at the northwestern corner of Paca and
Franklin streets, until it was supplanted by a confectionery; or
the "Black Horse," and some other country inns, beyond the turn

OF BALTIMORE. 91

of Franklin street into Pennsylvania avenue. Then there was the
"Hand Tavern" and yard, still surviving, on Paea near Lexington,
giving refuge to the market people and their wagons and cattle ; and
the chained " Black Bear" Inn, designed for the same purposes,
next to the corner of Howard, on Saratoga, street, where the Bevans
now cut and carve their marble mantels and tombs. The more aris-
tocratic "General Wayne" Inn, — Cugle & Frost's stylish "hostelrie"
for Western travelers, horse-dealers, and cattle-drovers, — was at the
corner of Paca and Baltimore streets, where the revolutionary hero
still faintly survives on the weather-beaten sign, which we remember
seeing raised to its present place more than forty years ago. The
" May Pole " was still further south of this, on Paca and German,
and the " Three Tuns Tavern," yet beyond, at the corner of Paca
and Pratt. These were the main houses of entertainment, cattle
yards, and stables, for horse-dealers, wagoners, and cattle men, west
of the Falls ; while " Old Town" had its famous " Bull's Head," on
Front street, the w' Rising Sun," on High street, and the well-known
" Habbersett's," whose hospitable doors and excellent tables were
always open to the dealers and farmers of Harford county especially.
The old "Fountain Inn," with its limpid, gushing sign, was always
the pet of the Eastern Shoremen, (so accessible as they came up
Light street from the Basin,) long after it ceased to be the pet of
the Presidents, after Jefferson's day and the rise of the " Indian
Queen," under Gadsby's auspices, and, long subsequently, to " Bar-
num's," in the Square, and " The Eutaw House," which were the
two first inns that wholly discarded the old-fashioned index of a
"sign." At most of these, in the day of turnpikes, the daily,
tri-weekly, or weekly Stage«,Coach called regularly, with sounding
horn, to take up the passengers "booked" at the office. The
Western taverns were filled with staunch, rough teamsters and
drovers ; and the tavern yards, generally occupied by fat cattle for
the shambles, and splendid horses, for sale, trade, or swap ; while
westwardly from Howard street, along Franklin to its junction
with Pennsylvania avenue, and out the avenue to George street,
and often beyond it, in the busy season, one-half of this great high-
way was nightly blocked up by the ponderous Oonestoga wagons,
and their superb teams feeding or munching in a trough fastened to
the wagon-poles. Xext day they delivered their flour, whiskey, and
provisions along Howard and other streets, and quickly reloaded with
groceries, dry and fancy goods for the West, and speedily set forth
with their four or six-in-hand team, each animal tinkling his jolly
crest of a dozen bells along the narrow defiles of the Alleghanies,

92

HISTOKICAL SKETCH

the drivers cracking their huge savage whips, giving notice of each
other's approach in the many passes of the mountains or valleys.

But Baltimore was to take a fresh start in the race of prosperity.
She had been temporarily disheartened and crippled, but not de-
stroyed ; for her natural resources could not be taken away, and the
people who had improved them in earlier days were still at hand to
engage in new operations. The men of enterprise and talent were
still there, and though not so young or hopeful, were nevertheless
not without zeal and enterprise, tempered by experience. They saw
that a change had come over the spirit of American trade, not only
by the cessation of war at home and in Europe, but that great ma-
terial improvements in transportation, steam, and the rivalries of
successful trade were operating on the minds of younger men of
equal intelligence, in other sections of the nation ; and that, when
success creates rivals, peace not only affords but stimulates the means
for successful rivalry. They saw that labor, patience, capital were
to take the place of that rapid, daring, war-commerce, which had
so magically assisted the fortunes of American, and especially
Baltimore merchants, for twenty or thirty years. They saw that
enterprise, to be repaid, must be content with slower processes, and
that the clipper of our Bay was no longer the Aladdin of their
counting-houses.

With this patience at heart, though, of course reluctantly ad-
mitted, an auspicious change took place in the commercial affairs
of Baltimore between 1820 and 1825. Capital and enterprise
again became active. The extensive establishments and ventures
became more limited, but were still significant in both foreign and
domestic trade. The tables of exports of foreign and domestic pro-
duce from Baltimore in 1822 and 1823, disclose a substantial and
less speculative commerce with Holland, England, France, Germany,
Sweden, Turkey, Italy, the West Indies, South America, and the
British possessions in America. The values of this trade were large:

1S2'2.

1K-J3.

Domestic articles in Foreign vessels,

$2,917,989

323,245

1,259,972

19,150

$3,058,543

3(51,511

1,747,574

9(5,281

$4,520,356

$5,203,909

OF BALTIMORE. 93

In 1824 the increase of exports was still greater, as the trade to
Europe and the West Indies gained considerably, while the com-
merce with South America, in particular, began to advance very
rapidly. Baltimore was then, undoubtedly, still the largest flour
market in the world, sending forth in 1822, 205,345 barrels; and
244,950 in 1823. Of tobacco, we shipped to foreign countries,
19,250 hogsheads in 1822, and 21,733 hogsheads in 1823 ; as well as
large quantities of provisions and manufactured goods. The
inspections of flour in Baltimore for 1822, displayed a total of
413,231 barrels, while the inspections of Philadelphia for the same
period, showed but 270,527 ; being little more than two-thirds the
amount for the same year in Baltimore.

In the city, and within the compass of twenty miles around it,
there were upwards of sixty grain mills, of various descriptions, in
which it was said that fully a million and a quarter of dollars were
invested. This, of course, was an element of great prospective
wealth, especially as the water power for manufactures, within the
radius of those twenty miles, at Patapsco Falls, Great Gunpowder
Falls, Little Gunpowder Falls, Jones's Falls, Gwynn's Falls, Herring
Run, Union Run, Winter's Run, and the Patuxent, was capable of
running 1,013,000 spindles. Hence, the new direction of enterprise
and capital began to find manufactures an important branch of Bal-
timore industry with so much water power at command, eight of
these streams being certainly capable of giving motion to ma-
chinery. The first three cotton factories established in the neighbor-
hood of Baltimore, the Union, the Powhatan and the Washington,
were formed during the commercial restrictions before the war with
England in 1812 ; and though successful as long as these restrictions
lasted, they soon felt the depressing influence of foreign competition
when they ceased ; yet, though they drooped awhile, they were not
abandoned, for the people in many quarters had become habituated
to the goods produced in this vicinity, and, in spite of the cheapness
of foreign fabrics, preferred the American, in consequence of their
more durable qualities. The Cotton Factory Companies in this
vicinity in 1824, were the Union, on the Patapsco, with two fac-
tories ; the Powhatan, on Gwynn's Falls, with one factory; the
Warren, on the Great Gunpowder, with two factories; the Patapsco,
on the Patapsco, with one ; the Washington, on Jones's Falls,
with one; the Lanvale, on Jones's Falls, with one; the Maryland, on
the Little Gunpowder, with one ; the Thistle, on the Patapsco, with
one ; the Ivy, on the Patapsco, with one ; the Savage, on the
Patuxent, with one ; and the Eagle, (run by steam,) in the city of

94 HISTORICAL SKETCH

Baltimore, with one; in all 13 factories, running 27,004 spindles,
565 power looms, 6 printing tables, and employing 2,800 persons.
On these same streams there were also 52 flour mills, 6 iron works,
1 woollen and carding factory, 2 paper mills, 3 powder mills, 2
copper works, 27 saw mills, 1 chocolate factory, and 2 old iron
works, no longer in operation. The greater part of the yarn then
manufactured was wrought into cloths either at the factories or by
hand-looms in and about the city. The Western and Southwestern
States consumed large quantities of these fabrics, wThile the South
American trade began to demand them for the Spanish and Bra-
zilian provinces, as well as for Mexico. Our manufacturing interests
seemed to be firmly established ; and so prosperous was the enter-
prise that the Eastern States began soon to establish Eastern men
among us to bring their fabrics into a Middle State market which
was becoming perhaps a dangerous rival in that species of Xew
England's industry.*

The resources of Chesapeake Bay and its affluents, from land and
water, were considered of themselves sufficient to support a great
city; and, though most carelessly and uneconomically used, (so far,
at least, as the fisheries and oyster' interests are concerned,) have
within late years demonstrated this fact, as the statistics of our
trade will hereafter disclose. But our commerce was not to be
so confined or restricted. The shipments of 1822 and 1823 showed
that we had no crushing rivalry to contend with in trade that cir-
cumstances had so greatly changed. Our ships went principally to
the Spanish Main, to Buenos Ayres, to Brazil, to Chili, Peru and
Mexico, and this species of commerce, in succeeding years, has fixed
itself upon a fair basis of equality, so far as our enterprise and
capital were able to support it in competition with other ports. A
commerce with India and China, has been maintained also, at times,
on Baltimore account, from other cities, and occasionally directly.
It is, we think, nevertheless, quite evident to any one who surveys
the entire iield of Maryland foreign commerce, since the collapse
after the last war with Great Britain, that our commercial enter-
prise never assumed again entirely the proportions it showed in the

* Manufactures (except of flour and pig iron) had been condemned and dis-
couraged by the British government, so that, before the Revolution we may be said
to have been little more than agricultural consumers of the productions of old
England. We were allowed to fish and to farm, and to buy British commodities
when wo could pay for them ; but our domestic industry was forbidden. There
were attempts at woollen factories in Dorchester county, but unsuccessful; and
in 171!) there were eight furnaces and nine forges in the Province. We exported
y>i(j iron profitably to England before and after the war of 1770.

OF BALTIMORE. 95

years before it. Our people seem to have been impressed with the
idea, since then, that the first duty of Baltimore was to recover pos-
session of the internal trade of the country; and hence probably
more reliance has been placed on the magical change which the
" Internal Improvement" system was to produce, as soon as fresh
modes of communication were opened with the growing West
and its dependencies. The idea seems to have been that if we
could soonest reach the vast Western trade by the shortest route,
we should command it; and that Baltimore would be re-established,
and advance to continental supremacy. While waiting these long
years for the fruition of this hope, it is possible that the commerce
and manufactures of our city have not advanced as rapidly as they
might have done under different inspirations ; yet, certain it is,
that, ever since 1824, 1825, the minds of our people have been
greatly concerned with canals and railways, and the supreme results
they were to produce for Baltimore and Maryland..

The only Western public roads practicable for wheeled vehicles, as
late as 1772, were those from Fredericktown to Annapolis and Balti-
more. The road to Annapolis, from the superior trading facilities
of that place over those of Baltimore before the Revolution, was the
first made by the settlers. It ran by Sandy Spring, an old settle-
ment founded by James Brooke before 1730. The road to Balti-
more, which passed the Patapsco Falls three miles above the Mills,
was not in operation until 1760. There were many "bridle roads"
traversed on horseback, or with packs; and numerous "rolling-
roads;* adjacent to navigable streams, used by the neighboring
planters for the transportation of their tobacco, which, tightly
packed in staunch hogsheads, hooped in the most substantial way,
were slowly rolled by at least two laborers to the place of shipment.
Several of these primitive roads are yet distinguishable in Harford
county, and one is still so designated near Elk Ridge Landing, a port
which, in those days, was the favorite depot of the farmers of the
vicinage, whence their commodities were taken in seagoing vessels
of light draft directly to Europe.* After the Revolutionary War
things improved, and the trains of pack-horses were gradually
abandoned, as that well-remembered institution, the " Conestoga
Wagon," came into use with improved thoroughfares. Between
1805 and 1810 three turnpikes were chartered by Maryland, leading
from Baltimore to Western Maryland and different parts of Pennsyl-

* The relatives of the writer have loaded vessels in 1795 for Holland, with tohacco,
on the Patapsco, a few yards east of the spot where the viaduct of the railroad to
Washington now crosses that river near the Relay House.

96 HISTORICAL SKETCH

vania ; and their roads to York, Reisterstown and Frederick were
built most thoroughly, so as to resist the weight and wear of the
enormous burthens of produce brought over them to this market.
The average cost of these roads was from 8,000 to 10,000 dollars a
mile. Subsequently, four other turnpikes were finished to Wash-
ington, Belle Air, Havre de Grace, and the Falls ; so that in 1825,
there were seven broad, substantial, well-built avenues proceeding
hence North, South, East and West. The great National road from
Wheeling to Cumberland, too, was continued by the banks of our
city, and three other banks in the west of Maryland. These insti-
tutions being required by the State, as a condition of renewal of
their charters, to make fifty-eight miles of this road on the same
construction as the " National."

But new ideas of progress were soon to change the slow systems of
conveyance by horse and mule, by roads and sails. Turnpikes, and
even canals, were to give place to steam and railways.

In December, 1823, a town meeting was held in the rotunda of
the Exchange, (now our post-office building,) to take the opinion
of the people on the subject of canals, and especially to discover
whether the citizens preferred a canal to be made first to the Susque-
hanna river or to the Ohio. A great majority, it seems, preferred
the canal to the Susquehanna. Accordingly, an act was passed by
the Assembly then in session authorizing the corporation of the city
to make a canal to the head of tide-water on the Susquehanna, and
thence to the Conewaga falls in Pennsylvania, if such an extension
should be permitted by the Legislature of that State. Another
act was also passed incorporating a company to make a canal from
the tide-water of the Potomac to the Ohio river, if assented to by
the national government and the States through which the canal
would pass. In the Assembly of the next year, 1824, the act of the
Virginia Legislature, incorporating the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal
Company, was confirmed ; and in 1825, stock to the amount of the
State's interest in the Potomac Canal Company, with 5,000 addi-
tional shares, were to be vested in the new Company on the part of
Maryland. A similar number of shares was to be taken in the Sus-
quehanna Company, then again incorporated, the old Susquehanna
Canal Company's interest being secured in the new one. At the
session of our Assembly in 18 20, another act incorporated the Penn-
sylvania and Maryland Canal Company.

The proposed Chesapeake and Ohio Canal had been cherished up
to this year as the best scheme for the interests of Baltimore and the
West ; but, in July of 1826, the estimates of the probable cost and

OF BALTIMORE. 07

difficulty of constructing such a canal over the mountains were made
and published by an able engineer, General Bernard, and the hopes
of our citizens immediately fell. They became satisfied that the
completion of the work, even, would be of no practical advantage
to our city, so long as the eastern terminus of the work was on
the Potomac. For several months there was much doubt and much
consultation among our mercantile leaders, until finally, it may be
said that the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was inaugurated at a
private meeting of about twenty-five or thirty influential men at
the residence of Mr. George Brown, on the 12th of February, 1827.
An act of our Assembly, comprising a charter, drawn up by John
VanLear McMahon, Esq., was passed immediately, (in fact, the first
railroad charter obtained in the United States,) and, the proposed
amount of stock being speedily taken, the Company was duly organ-
ized on the 12th of April, 1827, with Philip E. Thomas, President,
George Brown, Treasurer, and twelve directors, (Charles Carroll of
Carrollton at their head,) of whom but one survives in 1870. But
this project, so successfully inaugurated, and now in such success-
ful operation, did not obliterate the Pennsylvanian schemes of our
people. The Susquehanna connections were always favorites with
Baltimoreans ; and accordingly, the Baltimore and Susquehanna Rail-
road Company was chartered by our Assembly on the 13th of Febru-
ary, 1828 ; and when the books tor subscription were opened here in
March of that year, such was the anxiety to secure shares that more
than double the amount of the proposed capital was at once under-
written. In 1854, this road was consolidated with the York and
Cumberland Railroad; and now, under the name of the " Northern
Central," unites at Harrisburg with the Pennsylvania Central and
its great communications with the West, while, by other routes, it
preserves its connections with the lakes at Erie and with Northern
and Eastern New York. The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal was not
abandoned in this change of system ; but it stopped wisely at the
foot of the Alleghany Mountains at Cumberland ; and, instead of
fulfilling its original and boasted destiny of wielding the whole com-
merce of the West, has long divided its operations between politics
and the carrying of coal and grain to Georgetown from Western
Maryland and Virginia. It was not until some years after, that the
bill was passed authorizing the construction of a canal to tide on the
Susquehanna, or that the canal, and afterwards a railroad, were
made between the Delaware and the Chesapeake. The corner-stones
of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and of the Chesapeake and Ohio
Canal — the great rivals of that day — were both laid with imposing

98 HISTORICAL SKETCH

ceremonies on the 4th of July, 1828, Charles Carroll of Carrollton
officiating for the road, and President John Quincy Adams for the
canal.* Of the impracticability of the latter enterprise, General
Bernard, as we have seen, had apprised the speculative dreamers of
1826, 1827, and the truth of his calculations has been entirely veri-
fied by the test of practical experience after vast and unrepaid ex-
penditures by states and individuals.

On the 14th December, 1829, thirty-seven persons were drawn, by
one horse, in a car with four friction wheels, invented by Mr. Ross
Winans, at the rate of ten miles an hour. This was done, to the
amazement of crowds, on bar iron rails, imported duty free, fastened
on pine scantling and supported by cross ties of locust and cedar, on
the first track of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, which had
been completed from the depot, on AYest Pratt street, near the
Washington road, to G-wynn's Falls. This was regarded as an
astonishing victory at a time when the speed of locomotive engines
did not exceed six miles per hour ; nor was it yet determined what
sort of propulsive power would be most advantageously employed on
railways. Accordingly, in 1830, our old friend, Evan Thomas, brother
of the President of the road, was not deterred from displaying his
car called the "^Eolus," which, rigged with sails, was driven by
the winds, and used to attract eager crowds of youngsters and old
folks, who, like ourselves, considered these thiugs the solved marvels
of the age.

While these material improvements were devising for the future,
Baltimore took other steps for intellectual advancement. The
Academy of Sciences, of which Robert Gilmor was President, the
Maryland Institute of Arts, W. Stewart, President, and the First
Athenseum Library and Reading Rooms were incorporated, and
the Athenreum building erected at the corner of St. Paul and
Lexington streets — destroyed by fire, in 1835. Besides these, acts of
incorporation were obtained lor the Pennsylvania, Delaware and
Maryland Steam Navigation Company; the Fireman's Insurance
Company ; the Lafayette Beneficial Society ; the Patapsco Fire Engine
Company; the xEtna Company, for the manufacture of iron ; and
the Seaman's Union Bethel. Charters were also granted for the
American Insurance Company; the Maryland and Virginia, and
Baltimore and Potomac Companies; the Baltimore Pittston Coal
Company; the Elysville Manufacturing Company; the Baltimore

* The corner-stone of the Baltimore and Susquehanna Railroad was laid on the
9th of August, 1821), one hundred years from the date of the passage of the law for
the laying out of Baltimore-Town in 172!).

OF BALTIMORE. 99

Flint Glass Company ; the Maryland Mining and Iron Companies,
and the Shot Tower Companies, one of whose towers — two hundred
and thirty-four feet high — still remains at the corner of Front and
East Lafayette streets. On the 21st of September, 1829, the first
public school was opened in our city, and the system inaugurated
which, with various changes, has proved materially useful to
thousands of our citizens. In March, 1827, William Patterson, one
of our wealthiest and most active commercial men, presented to the
city two squares of ground on Ilampstead Hill for a public walk,
which, with additions since made by purchase, is now known as
" Patterson Park," and includes within its boundaries a few of the
remaining earthworks thrown up for the defence of Baltimore during
the war of 1812. In that year, too, (1827,) the population had out-
grown its customary supply of ice from home resources, and began
first to import it from the Northern States. In 1832 and 1834, we
did not escape from the Asiatic Cholera which, at that time, was
running its course around the world ; the visitation of 1832 being
more disastrous and of longer continuance than the subsequent one.
In 1835, the stock debt of the city was but about one million of
dollars, chiefly for internal improvements ; and it was, in this year,
that another effort was made in favor of the Chesapeake and Ohio
Canal, and the Susquehanna Railway. The branch railroad to
"Washington City was also opened successful^' at this time ; and
vast gambling speculations took place in the stock of the Canton
Land Company, shares, on which $54 had been paid, selling as high
as $260 in Northern cities, whose people were momentarily bewildered
by the prospect of realizing immense fortunes by the sale of lots iu
this finely seated property on our eastern limits. In this year, too,
Baltimore suffered from the riots consequent on the failure of the
Bank of Maryland and of several other money institutions, in which
large numbers of our people had either deposited or invested. The
mob destroyed much private property (for which the tax-payers
were subsequently obliged to recompense the owners,) before the
disgraceful outrage was finally suppressed, mainly by the tact and
courage of the veteran, General Samuel Smith, who, at the age of
eighty, headed the well disposed citizens, and produced order from
the chaos of several days' rioting.

Internal improvements by canal and railway advanced slowly,
for it was discovered that the science of railroads was, in reality,
to be developed while the roads themselves were building. In many
respects, indeed, our Baltimore and Ohio and Susquehanna railways,
were the pioneer roads of the world, as they certainly were of the

100 HISTORICAL SKETCH

United States. In 1836, the stock of the Susquehanna Tide Water
Canal, was taken in the month of June, and in 1837, the Philadel-
phia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railway was completed and put in
successful operation, the passengers crossing the Susquehanna at
Havre de Grace in a steamer, specially constructed for them, their
baggage and heavy freight.

On the 11th of May, 1837, the banks of this city, following those
of Philadelphia and ISTew York, suspended specie payments, and
continued the suspension until the 13th of August, 1838. On the
10th of October, 1839, they again suspended and refused specie until
February, 1841, when they resumed payment — but for eight days only.
The final and lasting resumption, did not occur until the 2d of May,
1842. The interruption of specie payments during these disastrous
years, gave opportunities for all sorts of speculations and inventions,
for the supply of what could or would pass among the people for
money. This was the reign of foul rags, coarsely called " shin-
plasters" whose speculative inventors palmed them on the credulous
public, and, of course, failing, inflicted serious losses on the com-
munity. " Orders " for money were issued, also, by the Corporation
of Baltimore, and by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company ;
and, for a long time, furnished the only reliable fractional currency
during the specie suspension. But, through all these perilous times,
Baltimore sustained herself bravely and successfully, improving the
city, and doing a fair share of general business ; and, while other
cities reeled before the storm, passed through it without serious
calamity. From that time onward, until 1857, our progress was
equal, though slow and substantial, receiving, indeed, considerable
impetus from the opening of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, to
the Ohio River in 1853 ; of the Susquehanna Road ; of the Tide-
water Canal, and of the continuation of our railway systems, as far
as St. Louis, (918 miles,) in June, 1857. But 1857, will be remem-
bered by American merchants, as an unfortunate and disheartening
year in commercial experience. Since the crisis, twenty years before,
of 1837, there had been no revulsion in monetary and mercantile
affairs, so embarrassing as that through which the trading com-
munity then passed. Property of all kinds, real and personal,
depreciated beyond previous experience ; and, of course, labor fell
with commodities ; while loans of money demanded exorbitant
premiums. This was the high-day of shavers and brokers and
unconscionable moneyed-men. The calamity afflicted the old world
as well as the new. " The best and the worst mercantile houses
were alike prostrated by the tempest," writes a commercial au-

OF BALTIMORE. 101

thority, " and thousands who stood deservedly high in means and
credit at the opening of the year, were reduced to comparative
dependence or real indigence." The causes of these disasters were
attributed to the usual initiatives of " hard times ; " viz., a mania for
fancy stock speculations ; a gambling in the values of commodities ;
a manifest increase of consumers over producers; and gross defects in
the banking system of the country.

But, in 1857, as in 1837, Baltimore fairly sustained her credit
throughout the fatal year, the number of failures occurring here, dur-
ing that period, not averaging more than one to twenty for those in
all the other leading commercial cities of the United States. That
we were not without trade of significance, in that year, is shown by
the fact that we exported $1 1,398,918, in commodities, and imported
to the value of $11,054,676, while the extension of our railway to
the Ohio, already mentioned, put us in communication (though not
yet perfectly) with most of the Western and Northwestern States,
by continuous lines of railway extending over five thousand miles.
The prosperity and the general advancement of the city were
still further demonstrated by the census returns for 1850, which
showed that in the decade between that year and 1840 our popula-
tion had been augmented by the extraordinary increase of 66,741,
the whole number of inhabitants being 169,054. This was a greater
relative increase than in any of the decades between 1790 — the date
of the first national census — and 1850, the augmentation being
12,611, between 1790 and 1800 : of 9,469, between 1800 and 1810 ; of
27,155, between 1810 and 1820 ; of 17,887, between 1820 and 1830 ;
and of 21,688, between 1830 and 1840.

The growth of the city was indeed perfectly visible to the most
careless observer. As we had in 1816, been the first city of the
Union to introduce the general use of gas as an illuminating material,
and, in 1827 to require the incorporation of the first great railroad,
so we were the first to enjoy the electric telegraph which was tested
and established between Washington and Baltimore in 1844. But
in late years, the taste and desire for building and civic adornment,
was extensively indulged, and, of course, indicated the substantial
character of our prosperity, as well as the city's attractiveness to
people who came here from abroad to dwell and augment our
population in addition to the natural increase of our numbers. The
religious societies added to the beauty of our architecture by the
erection of several splendid churches and ecclesiastical establish-
ments, among which we may particularly notice the new Presby-
terian Church on Madison street at its intersection with Park
8

102 HISTORICAL SKETCH

street, and St. Alphonsns's, at the corner of Park and Saratoga.
The Jesuit College and Church, were added; the Athenaeum,* con-
taining the rooms of the Maryland Historical Society and the
apartments of the Mercantile Library Association ; the Boundary
avenues, or Boulevards, were laid out, and in some few quarters,
opened ; the Maryland Institute for the promotion of the Mechanic
Arts, was opened on the 21st October, 1851 ; the fire-alarm tele-
graph; the uniformed and well established Police system; the
lakes, reservoirs, and supply of water from Jones's Falls; the
complete, paid, Steam Engine Fire Department; the City Passenger
Railway ; the superb new City Hall, one of the noblest municipal
edifices in the country ; the Bay view Poor Asylum ; the Moses
Sheppard Asylum, a generous private charity ; the Peabody Insti-
tute with its great Library and various establishments of music,
art and general science ; the Asylum for the Blind ; the excellent
House of Refuge ; the splendid Homes for Aged Men and for Aged
Women; the Asylum for the Orphan Children of the late war,
and the Plome for its Soldiers ; the various private hospitals under
the kind auspices of religious societies ; the Concordia Opera House ;
the generous Homes for Friendless Boys and Girls ; the passenger
railways to Catonsville and Towsontown, and to the Powhatan
factory ; and the Agricultural Fair and Cattle Show Grounds, and
the Race Course, where we expect to renew the triumphs of the
turf for which Baltimore was once renowned.

Our fellow citizen, Johns Hopkins, whose active commercial life
has been rewarded with vast wealth, has taken initiatory legal mea-
sures for the endowment of an University and of charitable Insti-
tutions, which will probably absorb several millions of his great
fortune, and bestow on Baltimore establishments of learning and
beneficence, whose advantages will be certainly commensurate with
the broad designs of their respected founder. In all directions the
city has extended in beauty, elegance and comfort. The Jones's
Falls enlargement and improvement, costing millions perhaps, will
be a vast relief and embellishment, as well as security for the city.
There is to be a superb new hotel on the ruins of the old, historic,
" Fountain Inn." A new theatre and a new opera house are to be
built forthwith ; and it is hoped that the McDonough Educational
Institution will soon erect an accessible and suitable edifice, for the

* Tho Athcmeum Building, completely finished, was a free gift of the citizens to
the Maryland Historical Society and the Baltimore Library Company or the sur-
vivor. The Library being now merged in the Historical Society, the Athemeum
is the property of that Institution.

OF BALTIMORE. 103

reception of the poor boys whom the donor — so many years ago —
designed to receive in our city or its neighborhood, the benefits of
his devised estate.

No park in America vies, we believe, with the hundreds of acres
of woodland and lawn, hill and dale, of our exquisite " Druid Hill."
The property of one family for near a century, and maintained as a
private, hereditary domain, adorned and cherished by its tasteful
owners, it was a ready-made park for our city when the authorities
determined to buy it in 1860. The cent contribution of every citizen
or sojourner who rides in our City Passenger railcars, suffices to pay
for and support this lifegiving lung of our metropolis, so that when
the beauty of the lake, soon to be completed, is added to the natural
charms of the forest scenery, Baltimore may boast of a crowning
embellishment, that will be jealously cared for and prized by our
people through succeeding ages. The cent tax, has already produced
for our parks the vast sum of $758,887.

The visions of Canton Company Stock speculators of thirty years
ago, though not entirely realized, are still demonstrated to have
been more than "baseless fabrics," by the wharves, factories, dwell-
ings, and hum of business covering the once vacant spaces at the
base of those eastern hills which are now crested with the groves
and avenues of Patterson Park. There is no longer the stir of
ship-building on Fell's Point, but it has only changed quarters for
the shores of Federal Hill and Locust Point, on the southern side of
the basin and harbor. There, too, a fresh town has sprung up on
the " Whetstone Peninsula," with long lines of paved streets,
houses, public buildings, quays, coal wharves, and extensive piers
and fire-proof warehouses for the European steamers from Bremen
and England, connected with the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.
Still, onward, the city stretches, over the peninsula, to the Middle
Branch and Fort McIIenry on south and east; and, on the west,
threatens still to include " Moale's Point" in the city's limits, in
spite of the denunciations of that ancestor of the family, who, in
1729, refused his lands for the site of the future metropolis. North-
westwardty and westwardly; northwardly and eastwardly, the city
has run out its streets and avenues ; the forest has been felled ; the
hills as well as the level grounds that, at our last descriptive outline
of Baltimore, were still bare in 1820-1825, are now covered with
substantial improvements, slowly but securely won by the patient,
unostentatious accretions of wealth and people during the last thirty
years. Large numbers of private, individual houses (not vast and
crowded lodging houses) have been built for and are occupied by

104 HISTORICAL SKETCH

the working classes; demonstrating the demand for, as well as the
recompense of labor, in our community. The old "Howard's Park"
is tilled with residences and public buildings of a richer character, in
substantial comfort and taste, comparing favorably with the dwell-
ing-quarters of more boastful capitals. The observer of this busy
and beautiful scene from the top of the " Washington Monument,"
in the centre of these luxurious dwellings, whence the whole pano-
rama of Baltimore is distinctly visible, now beholds a magniticent
city nestling under the sheltering slopes around the head waters
of the branches of the Patapsco, where our ancestors planted them-
selves so confidently one hundred and forty-one years ago. From
the still wooded heights, north of the Northern Boundary avenue,
to the waters of the Basin and across the Peninsula to the Middle
Branch, the space is densely packed, quite four miles in width, with
solid improvements while, from Canton and Fell's Point, on the
east, to the House of Refuge and Druid Hill Park, on the west
and nothwest, seven or eight miles in length, the substantial build-
ings are centrally quite as dense, and only scattering in parts of the
extreme outskirts.

Baltimore's progress was thus rapid, sound and elastic until the
winter of 1860-1. People were eager in predicting the city's pros-
perity for years to come. Real estate maintained a steady, equable
advance in value, according to the relative situation of property in
business or residence districts. But, in 1861, the sad civil war broke
out, and though Maryland did not become the theatre of battle until
the Confederate invasion of 1863, its border situation made it an
object of contest from a very early day, not only by both sections —
North and South — but by the people of the State themselves. A
"Middle State" and a "Slave State," the sympathies of the citizens
were divided in many instances, and positively devoted to the South
in, perhaps, a majority of cases. There was a decided anxiety to
avoid an armed conflict, and many citizens cherished the impossible
idea of " neutrality " in such a war. The city of Baltimore was,
through business relations and personal affiliations, greatly allied to
the South and its "institution." Yet, conventions held here in 1860
and early in 1861, failed to elicit a positive decision in favor of
"secession," which was openly discussed and voted on in Southern
States. The views of leading men, on both sides, were very variant
as to action as well as to policy ; many regarding procrastination and
compromise as wise and practicable. But, the events of April, 1861,
precipitated the question in this city, on the 19th of that month, by
the violent interruption of a Massachusetts regiment in its passage

OP BALTIMORE. 105

through our streets en route to Washington, on the call of President
Lincoln for 75,000 volunteers. War was inevitable after the capture
of Fort Sumter. Baltimore, as an objective military position, was
one of the most important in the Union; and, accordingly, the
United States Government immediately began to occupy it and its
neighborhood, as well as different parts of the State, with sufficient
troops to ensure peace within our territory. The consequence was
that large numbers of our j^ounger men went over the border and
took up arms for the South, abiding there the fate and hardships of
arms and privation, until the end of the war, in 1865. The State
and the city, during'the whole period, were in the hands of citizens
devoted to the Union cause; and large numbers, black and white,
enlisted in the armies of volunteers raised by the General Govern-
ment for the national defence.

As in all states and communities, when war of opinion ends in
war of arms, the violence and diversity of opinion were correspond-
ingly great ; but, for the sake of all : —

"Peraget tranquilla protestas
Quod molenta nequit : mandataque fortius urget
Imperia quies !" —

The city of Baltimore, though its prosperity suffered from the
civil war, still had certain partial compensations in the increased
knowledge obtained by our countrymen of its geographical import-
ance, of the value of Maryland lands, streams and mines, as well
as in the temporary depot trade in military supplies and troop trans-
portation. But the war stopped the great trade of Baltimore with
the South, and broke the city's connection with the West. Since
the conflict ended, the revival of this suspended prosperity has been
steady and firm ; nor can any one observe our thronged streets, our
crowded cars, our packed vans, the gay crowds of pleasure-seekers
in our parks, the wide awake, healthy alacrity of our people at all
times, the rows of comfortable houses built and building in every
direction, without being aware of Baltimore's substantial growth.

Prior to 1820, we were rich from foreign and domestic trade,
combined and nearly monopolized in Baltimore. We are now
endeavoring to reassert our lost supremacy, mainly through the
continuation and increase of the Internal Improvement System,
initiated, as related, soon after the disasters we have heretofore
described.

Before the days of sea-going and ocean-crossing steamers, it waa
objected to Baltimore that it was " not a sea-port," being at the end

106 HISTORICAL SKETCH

of two hundred miles of inland navigation ; and it was replied that
London, Paris, Antwerp, Bremen, Dresden, Berlin and Hamburg,
the great European trade cities, and Amsterdam, the great financial
centre of the continent, were not sea-ports. But, since the era of
sea-going steamers, the geographical fact is of no appreciable, prac-
tical importance, the vehicle of transportation being continuous.

And so we return to the great idea of the founders of Baltimore,
in 1729, that in truth, it is the original, and natural, terminus of
internal American trade, on the Atlantic seaboard, indicated by the
geography of the country.

The canal and railway companies, incorporated over forty years
ago, have been, and are still striving to demonstrate this. Their
success in sustaining the city amid all the rivalries of trade, of com-
peting States and cities, amid the disasters of war, with the small
capital of a comparatively small State and small city exclusively,
has been marvellous ; yet, that they have succeeded under all such
discouragements and disadvantages, is proof of the soundness of
their basis : the centred and national supremacy of Baltimore. It was
from Baltimore-Town in Colonial and anti-revolutionary days that
the trading adventurers, soldiers, or pioneers set forth, when they
went westward, wending their way by "Fort Cumberland," until
they penetrated the wilderness, with their long trains of "pack-
horses," (before the days of wagons,) bearing luxuries into the forest
to be exchanged for the peltries, which were then almost the only
"circulating medium" of the region. Maryland, lying like a wedge
between Pennsylvania and Virginia, and having, in its centre,
another wedge, in its magnificent Bay and .River, whose affluents
penetrated its extreme northwestern corner, afforded the easiest
levels for a channel of trade for passing the mountains and reaching
the navigable waters of the Ohio, then almost the outer boundary
of civilized men. Thus, our State became the chief recognized line
of travel, and our town the chief depot between the Atlantic slopes
and shores, and the valleys beyond the Alleghany range. Historic-
ally, as well as geographically, Baltimore is therefore to be reckoned
the earliest commercial ally of the West. It was certainly so, in
the days when Braddock and Washington pursued the line I have
indicated towards Fort Pitt or "Fort Du Quesne ;" and also in
periods when the common interests and common sense of men
pointed out a trail for trade, independently of all extraneous rival-
ries or influences. It continued so, indeed, till the opening of the
Mississippi, by steam navigation, and until the establishment of the
New York Canal.

OF BALTIMORE. 107

The geographical fact still remains — immutable. All the art, all
the ingenuity, all the capital of other states and cities, are unable
to change the surface of the earth, or their relative situation on it.
They have been unable to destroy the great truth that Baltimore is
not only the natural depot of American continental trade, but also
the central point of the sea-board Union, in instantaneous inter-
course with the National Capital, and that its great Western rail-
way is the shortest, directest, and, of course, most economical com-
munication between the West and the sea.

A glance at any skeleton map of the United States, on which the
great railways are truthfully laid down, will show this. It will be
seen that while Boston, New York and Philadelphia stretch out their
iron arms longingly to the West, every grasp they make drags com-
modities over a longer road, and, of course, at greater cost. While
seeking central communications westwardly, we have not been un-
mindful that there were northern lands and lakes, and mines which
might contribute to our, and the South's prosperity and convenience.
Accordingly, we have threaded the Susquehanna with a canal and a
road, which places Lake Erie nearer to Baltimore than to New York
or Philadelphia. Our communications with the North and East and
their connections are perfect, through the Philadelphia, Wilming-
ton and Baltimore Railroad — the Western Maryland, — and through
the Northern Central Railway, whose connecting lines at Harrisburg;,
Williamsport, and elsewhere, throw into its power the products, not
only of Western New York, and Western Pennsylvania, but of the
Northwestern Lake and Prairie country of our Union. By the
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad we are linked, inseparably, with all
sections, under the alliances and systems inaugurated through the
masterly administration of President Garrett. These roads and con-
nections link our city, by direct and regular intercourse, with Wash-
ington, Richmond, and the affiliated southern roads penetrating
Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Louisiana.
Through Harper's Ferry and Winchester we penetrate the Valley
of Virginia, and will shortly make complete southern connections
in that direction. Through Grafton we wend northwardly to
Wheeling, or westwardly to Parkersburg ; from the latter, striking
straight forward, to St. Louis and its connecting Pacific Railroad ;
and, from the latter, uniting with that griddle of railways which
checkers Ohio, Indiana, Michigan and Illinois and the far Northwest.
The Connellsville and Pittsburgh connection with our Baltimore and
Ohio Road, will open a great line of travel ; and, especially, if the pro-
posed independent Baltimore, Pittsburgh and Chicago Road shall be

108 HISTORICAL SKETCH

finally constructed. That line will be the shortest, cheapest, and
most direct from the Northwest to tide water. New York has
been hitherto held as the objective point of Chicago on the Atlantic ;
but, by this proposed line, Baltimore, now a first-class port, will
be one hundred and fifty-two miles closer to Chicago than by the
average distances of the existing lines used to New York. By the
New York Central Road, from Chicago to New York, it is 185
miles further than from Chicago to Baltimore ; by the New York
and Erie, 166 miles; and by the Allentown route, the distance is 104
miles greater to New York than by the route now proposed from
Chicago to our city. From Louisville to Baltimore, the distance
through Cincinnati, is 696 miles ; or 291 less than to New York by
the Ohio and Mississippi, and N"ew York and Erie lines ; and 293
less than to New York, by the New York Central ; and 155 less than
by the Allentown route of the Pennsylvania Road.

Through the Ohio and Mississippi Road to Cincinnati, and the
Marietta and Cincinnati Road, thence, the Baltimore and Ohio Rail-
road presents a line 210 miles less in distance to Baltimore from St.
Louis, than the average distance by the three trunk lines used from
St. Louis to New York. The Baltimore and Ohio Company now
controls and works, under a permanent lease, the Central Ohio Road
from Bellaire on the Ohio River to Columbus the capital of the State;
and it has, also,, a line which extends from Newark, or its Central
Ohio division, to Sandusky on the lake. The proposed lines of the
Baltimore and Ohio Road, in connection with its Metropolitan
branch from the Point of Rocks, reduce the distance from Pittsburgh
to Washington City, as compared with the route via Harrisburg, full
seventy-five miles.

Shortened distance is, of course, a main element of transportation ;
but facility for transfer, and cheapness of handling, are not the least
of the material advantages sought for in the competitions of com-
merce. The establishment of the Locust Point Piers and ware-
houses has shown the wisdom and foresight with which our great
railway has been directed. This is, at once, a depot, on deep
water, for coal, and also a depot for freight and passengers, — reached
without change of cars from any part of the country. The coal is
delivered in the hold from the original vehicle of transportation ;
and the landed emigrant mounts the car for his western home, with-
out delay, or a dollar's cost for the movement of his baggage, or
danger of the impositions practiced in other cities by the greedy
" runners" of rival railways.

But the main purpose of this great Locust Point Depot and Pier,

OF BALTIMORE. 109

— 650 feet long and 100 feet wide, covered with fire-proof ware-
houses,— is the accommodation of the Clyde built Steamers, at this
marine tt rminus of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. It was believed
until within a few years that Xew York alone, could maintain lines
of steamers to Europe. The trials made by the Baltimore and Ohio
Company, of a small class of these vessels, induced more extensive
experiments. Accordingly, two first-class steamships, of 2,500 tons
burthen were built and put on the sea between Bremen and this
port ; and, in less than a year, it was found necessary to double the
line ; and so successful had the attempt proved, that when the new
stock was offered for the additional capital required, the astute
merchants of Bremen, who entirely comprehended the advantages
of Baltimore, offered subscriptions for forty times the sum desired, so
that the apportionment of the stock made but two and a half per
centum upon the subscriptions asked for. Another line for Liver-
pool is necessary and organizing. The great ocean steamers of Xew
York are supplied with coal carried by the Baltimore and Ohio
Railroad, and shipped from Baltimore. The cost of transportation,
hence to Xew York, is $2.50 per ton ; and, as our Baltimore steam-
ers, in their voyage hence to Bremen, consume 800 tons, they, con-
sequently, save two thousand dollars on each voyage, as compared with
Xew York. Accordingly, it is not surprising to see that we have,
in addition to our railroad facilities, and our Bremen or Liverpool
steamers, regular lines of steam packets, to Xorfolk, Petersburg,
Richmond, Ya. ; "Wilmingtou, X. C. ; Charleston, Savannah, Key
West, Havana and Xew Orleans. We have also, most successful
lines of steamers, by canal and ocean, to Philadelphia, Xew York
and Boston, and to all parts of our own bay and rivers. The
old established "Bay Line" of steamers, is most important and
successful in its connections with the railways of the South, thus
feeding Baltimore with large supplies of staples, and sending back
important cargoes of commodities purchased in our city. Our
northern railways are sufficiently known, while those in connection
with Washington and Xew York are now especially esteemed, by
the thousands who yearly use them, for the ease and security of
the transportation.

These rail and water communications, with the vast advantages
they have by comparative cheapness of fuel and facility for its re-
ception, have certainly added largely, since the late war, to the com-
merce of Baltimore. Two facts are striking;;. When the Baltimore
and Ohio Railroad was chartered in 1826, the whole wealth of the
city is estimated to have been scarcely more than about seventeen

110 HISTORICAL SKETCH

millions of dollars.* The assessed value of real and personal estate
for taxation in the city in 1870, is $207,181,550; while, under the in-
fluence of improved business connections, the revenue of the railroad
has increased from $300,000 per month to $1,000,000 ! The lew
York importer of coffee sends his ship to Baltimore to avail of its
lower port charges and superior and economical facilities for trans-
portation. The city has liberally fostered the road, by furnishing it
riparian rights, on deep water ; and hence the Company was enabled
to build its wharves, piers, and warehouses, and to furnish, without
cost to European steamers, these admirable advantages we have
described; by which sagacious course the wealth of Baltimore has
been augmented by many millions in the course of the last six years.
It has re-established not only our western internal trade, but effec-
tually re-initiated a lucrative foreign commerce ; large and varied
importations being now made through Baltimore for the Ohio
and Mississippi valleys.

Baltimore is nearest the North, nearest the South, nearest the
West ; in fact so central on the seaboard as to be nearest all classes
of industry and of production; it is nearest the manufacturer of the
North, the agricultural producer of the West and South, the specu-
lator and purchaser of Europe and the West Indies, and of pur-
chasers everywhere.

When our Great Road shall be prolonged to the Pacific Ocean, by
the contemplated routes, partially in progress, near the 40th parallel
of latitude, it will become the central belt of North Amerca, — the
twin clasps of which must be San Francisco and Baltimore.

But, thus far, we have in the main, flourished by transportation
only ; yet, transportation is not omnipotent. Freight may be brought
from the West en masse; for the policy of transportation is only to
grow opulent by furnishing fresh outlets for productions by carrying
them over the shortest routes at the most moderate cost. But, all
the commodities conveyed will not add to the wealth of Baltimore
more than the price of its transportation. The great commercial
centres of the world have not become so by exclusive devotion to
one branch of industry. Variety has always fostered the growth
and wealth of cities, because variety and supply created a market.
But, for t\ns, cajrital must be supplied and used with enterprise. We

* Tho assessed valuation of Baltimore city property for taxation, in 1826, was
$3,289,354; which, —as we are informed, — was on a basis of one-fifth of actual
value, and would show the real value to have been $l(i,19(!,770; so that our figures
are, doubtless, as nearly correct as possible in such estimates concerning long
past periods.

OF BALTIMORE. Ill

do not disparage railways and canals and steamers, when we think
it best not to rely on them exclusively ; for if railways, canals, and
steamers fetch merchandise, their business is also to take it abroad,
and not to deal with it otherwise here. A city never grew rich on
freight alone; but it grows rich, when, as a market, it becomes the
terminus of a trade, brought there by the commercial inducements
offered by a mercantile community, which either takes the intro-
duced commodities for home or foreign consumption, or for local
sale, exchange or manufacture. It must, in truth, be a mart, and
not a mew forwarding entre depot for New York and Boston, where
commerce, which is the great realizer, shall effectually take hold of
the transported merchandise, and through its maritime power make
it the element of international exchange and domestic finance. In
our observations, elsewhere in this article, on the Banks of Balti-
more, we give our opinion of the lack of sufficient capital, and the
danger we may encounter from the further postponement of its
supply. An important lesson is legible in the financial history of
New Orleans. That city had advantages even over Baltimore, for
it was an absolute terminus, on the borders of Southern Civilization,
of the most extensive and prolific river navigation in the world. As
soon as steam was introduced, it became the reservoir of the valleys
of the Ohio, Missouri, Mississippi, Tennessee, Cumberland, Red
River, and all their affluents. It absorbed the hemp, cotton, to-
bacco, sugar, breadstuff's, spirits and provisions of that vast region,
and certainly then without a possible rival. Yet, what was the re-
sult ? Who was to deal with this concentrated produce ? It could
not be consumed or paid for there ; and, who was to take it away or
sell it ? Louisiana, or Louisiana merchants had no vessels except a
canoe, a steamboat, or a flatboat ; and of course the North and Eng-
land, by their maritime power, secured the command of this splen-
did magazine of Western and Southwestern labor, while, whatever
income accrued to the local agriculturist, was reinvested in slaves
and land, if not squandered in luxuries furnished, again, by Europe
or the North. New York sent its ships, or its freighting vessels to
New Orleans for the great staple of cotton demanded by England ;
and, by its European combinations conclusively settled the values
the South should receive for its products. The independence of New
Orleans was resigned, notwithstanding the immense materials of
enduring local wealth in its grasp. It became a mere temporary
depot ; the commodities it contained being moved by foreign capi-
tal, and mostly on foreign account. New York, thus made itself
the central national market for foreign exchanges, founded on the

112 HISTORICAL SKETCH

cotton supply and debt, and, obtaining almost a monopoly of impor-
tation, it forced the country to come to it for supplies ; and, thus
too, by keeping the rest of the Union its debtor, it controlled the
domestic exchanges.

From late events it appears probable that our vast western com-
munications, by rail and water, are likely to interfere materially
with the descending navigation of the Mississippi and the trade of
New Orleans. It is easier, quicker and cheaper to cross from the
great river to the Atlantic by a straight line, on land, than to float
around half the nation by water. Time and transhipment are
money. Cotton and other merchandise that once went to New
Orleans now come here. Nature always asserts or reasserts herself.
But shall the ancient and losing game of that southern city be
played over again in Baltimore, in consequence of local lethargy or
supineness in the employment of capital in general commerce, — in
Maryland navigation, — in direct importation, — in liberal advances
that secure consignments and found a solid local market? With
all the elements of real commercial success in our hands, shall we
have no actual commerce ?

We are thus earnest in attempting to foment an interest in the
re-establishment of our mercantile marine on Maryland account, —
once so prosperous in the early days we have described in this nar-
rative. We are argent because we think the city's prosperity, in
this age of competition, depends on a quick establishment of a fair
combination and balance of local, foreign and internal trade. Co-
operation is essential for the welfare of a great mercantile metropo-
lis. The opportunity is now clearly presented to us of becoming
such a capital ; and, through the agencies of steam, the electric
telegraph, and personal sagacity, wealth and enterprise, our sea-
going vessels may soon be placed on a footing of equality with
our railways.

OP BALTIMORE.

113

BALTIMORE:

AS SHOWN IN 1870, BY THE STATISTICS OF HER POPULATION, PROPERTY,
EDUCATION, PRODUCTIVE .INDUSTRY, TRADE AND COMMERCE.

The material wealth and progress of a City, State, or Nation,
may be reasoned about, or, sufficiently argued, from well arranged
facts, probabilities or inferences ; but nothing is so demonstratively
satisfactory as an honest array of " figures which cannot lie." Ac-
cordingly, in compiling from the most authentic sources, this sketch
of our city ; we consider it best to close our labors by assembling in
one section, under proper heads, the statistics of our condition in
1869 — 1870. These will not only be useful for present and future
reference or comparison — embracing, as they do, the results of many
years' growth and various industries — but will prove, beyond
cavilling, our city's progress, prospects and prosperity. With the
'augmentation of supplies from all parts of the interior of America —
nay, from India even, across the Continent ; with our immense
facilities of transportation, both domestic and foreign; with the
richest coal in abundance, and of course, with steam in our prompt
control ; we should surely look forward to a renewal of that world-
wide commerce, which we fairly called our own, until the war of
1812.

POPULATION.

The census returns of the United States for Baltimore-Town and
city, from 1790 to 1870, are as follows :

Years.

Population.

Years.

Population.

Years.

Population.

1790, ....
1800, ....
1810, ....

13,503
26,114
35,583

1820,. . . .
1830,. . . .
1840,. . . .

62,738

80,625

102,313

1850, . . .

1860, . . .

1 1870, . . .

169,054
212,418
267,599

An enumeration of the inhabitants, made by the police force
makes the population, 283,375, being 15,476 more than the number
returned by the U. S. Marshal.

In 1775, there were, altogether in Baltimore-Town, 561 houses

114

HISTORICAL SKETCH

and 5,934 persons of all descriptions ; and in 1829, 12,798 houses,
and about 80,000 people. In the year 1868 there were 1,675 new
buildings erected and 530 improvements made in Baltimore, adding
$5,641,578, worth of property to the taxable basis, while in 1869,
the increase was still greater ; 2,836 dwellings and 696 improvements
having been erected and made during that year, yielding the
additional sum of $6,615,275 to the taxable property, or, nearly a
million increase over the additions of the previous year ; and, nearly
one-fourth as many edifices erected in a single year, as existed here
alogether in 1829 I

We have taken much pains to obtain an early copy of the United
States Government returns from the Marshal of our District, who
has kindly supplied us with all the requisite materials for our
various tableaux, which will demonstrate the solid growth and
advantages of our city. And first, we shall exhibit the Population,
Deaths, Dwellings, &c, by Wards:

BALTIMORE CITY.
Census taken by the United States in June, 1870.

OF BALTIMORE,

115

To present a comprehensive glance of the progress of Property, in
Baltimore, that solid basis of wealth — perhaps nothing will be more
satisfactory than the following interesting tableau, which we have
prepared, with much research and difficulty, of the taxable basis of
Baltimore-Town and Baltimore City, from the earliest accessible
data in 1729, to the year 1870, inclusive.

PROPERTY VALUES AND ASSESSMENTS

Of " Baltimore- Town," of Baltimore- Town and County, and of

"Baltimore City," from the earliest accessible dates

and most reliable authorities.

1785.
1790.
1798.

1813.
1815.
1*24.
1826.

1828.

1839.
1844.
1850.
1851.
1852.
1853.
1854.
1855.
1856.
1857.
1858.
1859.
1860.
1861.

Value of the original ground of Baltimore-Town, viz. 60 acres, purchased in
1729. This comprises the space between Liberty street and the Falls, and
the Basin and Saratoga street,

At this time taxation was "per poll" or by head, subsequently abolished by
the Constitution. The tax in this year was 172 lbs. of tobacco per poll, or
altogether for town axd county on 7.410 persons, — Tobacco, 1,274,520 lbs.,
commutable at 12 shillings and 6 pence per hundred lbs., ....

Population about 5,000.

For Town and County of Baltimore,

For Baltimore City, (Incorporated 1796,)

Revenue of the City from all sources in 1797,

" " " " " 1798

For Baltimore City,

Revenue of city from all sources in 1808,

The United Slates Government assessed value of the same property and same

year was

The assessed value of property in the precincts of the city, by the city asses-
sors was,

For Baltimore City,

Whole amount derived from direct taxatiox, in Baltimore City, was, .

For Baltimore City (precincts assessed icith city),

Revenue of city from all sources in 1826,

For Baltimore City (precincts assessed with city),

Revenue of city from all sources in 1828, was

For Baltimore City, (estimates one-fifth current value,)

(The rule adopted for assessment of values for taxation, up to 1800, was
about one-fourth current value; afterwards, for years, about one-fifth cur-
rent value.)

Revenue of city from all sources in 1829, was,

For Baltimore City,

£ 120

S 4,542,992

£ 1.703.022

1,424,502

099.519

3 14.412

32,865

2,522,870

53,731

31,270,269

960,798

3,325,848

90,000

3,218,571

3,239,354
200,282-

3,279,121
194,274

3,424/240

314,288
55,793,370
58,890,773
77,847,546
79,878,372
83,575,254
96,784,142
101,165,204
L04,915,238
106,627,885

110,605,079
135,499,873
138,505,765
138,199,960

116

HISTORICAL SKETCH
Property Values and Assessments — {Continued.)

1862.
1863.
18G4.
1865.
1866.
1867.
1868.
1869.
1870.

For Baltimore City,

$134,532,804
135,091,035
139,417,797
143,340,022
144,926,217
147,078,105
206,144,348
203,739,804
207,181,550

The taxation as made and collected is, on this property, in 1870,
$380,863 for the State of Maryland, and $3,222,106 for the city. The
paupers supported during the year were 1,749 of foreign birth, and
1,163 natives, while the whole number of criminals convicted for
same period was 554 natives and 30 foreigners ; the whole number
in prison on 1st June, 1870, was 57 foreigners, 262 native whites,
and 594 native blacks.

COLLEGES, ACADEMIES AND SCHOOLS.

Average

Average

No

OF

No

OF

Income : year ended June 1, 1870.

Character, Rank,
or Kind.

Teachers.

Pdpils.

No.

6

6

g
fa

en

CD

£
to
fa

W g

e|

£S

fa -a

5£«g

O OT3.2

ilfi

Classical :

2

Universities, . . .

19

230

$18,000

3

Colleges, ....

20

9

500

340

$2,500

28,500

9

Academies, ....
Professional :

23

42

252

327

34,600

1

2

32

3,000

2

Medicine, ....

20

185

8,300

1

Theology, ....

5

40

8,000

6

Art and Music, . .

20

5

624

230

3,000

7,141

3

Commercial, . . .
Public Schools :

14

733

•

21,240

1

2

7

55

135

9,800

3

High,

10

23

280

744

$16,000

13,800

5,200

37

Grammar, ....

22

170

3,259

3,452

160,800

48,240

18,090

60

Graded common, . .

271

4,641

5,040

165,200

49,560

18,585

21

Ungraded common, .
Private Schools :

18

44

1,170

701

29,948

8,082

3,662

32

25

102

742

1,032

$1,640

32,700

S

Hoarding, ....

22

20

711

568

55,910

39

Parochial, ....

165

173

4,488

5,185

17,700

No regular Charity School— the Parochial Schools are part Charity.

OF BALTIMORE.

117

In this city there is one State collection of hooks, with 1,462
volumes ; 1 bar or court library, 8,000 volumes ; Company libraries,
41,500 volumes ; 162 church and college libraries, 98,210 volumes ;
151 Sabbath-school libraries, 81,335 volumes ; and four circulating
subscription libraries with 54,655 volumes. It is estimated by the
Rev. Dr. J. Gr. Morris, that the number of Baltimore authors may be
stated at 365, including those not natives, but who wrote here ; the
number of pamphlets written by them being three-fourths larger
than the number of books.

PRODUCTIVE INDUSTRY OF BALTIMORE,

As shown by the United States Census of the Twenty City IJVu-ds
for 1870, exclusive of establishments, the value of whose pro-
ductions is less than $500 per annum.

ESTABLISHMENTS.

Sugar Refineries,

Tailors and Clothiers,

Oysters, Fruit, and Vegetable Packers, . .

Iron Rails and Plates,

Boots and Shoes,

Cigars and Tobacco,

Cotton Duck Manufacturers,

Transporters N. C. R.,

Copper Smelting,

Furniture, Cabinet Makers and Undertakers,

Bakers,

Paints, Varnishes, White Lead, &c, . . .
Tallow, Soap and Candle Works, ....
Locomotive and Engine Builders, ....

Planing Mill and Sash Factory,

Distillers, . . . . '

Brick Makers,

Coopers,

Iron Founders,

Carpenters and Builders,

Tin Can Makers,

Book and Job Printers,

Petroleum Refiners,

Saddles, and Harness Makers,

Tin and Sheet Iron Workers, Roofing, &c, .

■ Amounts carried forward,

9

Number
of

Number of

Value of Produc-
tions, omitting

Establish-

Hands.

fractions of dol-

ments.

lars.

4

434

$6,832,462

211

6,468

5,357,871

13

2,476

2,698,935

1

1,100

2,692,612

392

2,135

2,518,995

254

1,057

1,843,922

2

521

1,296,401

1

2,868

1,226,046

1

140

1,074,850

64

815

1,145,740

150

387

1,144,366

4

90

1,017,500

13

104

774,700

7

383

660,000

8

214

515,298

1

20

600,000

35

808

627,995

34

288

523,413

10

408

408,288

50

252

978,880

19

235

612,789

32

337

559,821

5

26

478,470

48

226

466,250

87

333

608,569

1,446

22,125

$36,664,773

118

HISTORICAL SKETCH

ESTABLISHMENTS.

Amounts brought forward,

Morocco, Leather and Lining Manufacturers, . . .

Piano Makers,

Pork Packer and Produce Dealer,

Flour Mills,

Linen and Cotton Bags,

Pig Iron Furnace,

Linseed Oil Manufactories,

Stoves, Furnaces, &c,

Tanners and Curriers,

Agricultural Implements,

Marble Workers,

Fertilizers,

Malt Mills,

Carriages and Wagons,

Box Makers,

Brewers,

Confectioners and Candy Makers,

Broom Makers,

Crackers and Ship Biscuit,

Iron Manufacturers,

Machinists,

Patent Medicines, Extracts, &c,

Mustard and Ground Spices,

Glass Manufacturers,

Blacksmiths and Wheelwrights,

Boiler Makers,

Bell and Brass Founders,

Turning and Sawing Wood,

Plumbing and Gas Fitting,

Pitch, Felt, Cement and Roofing,

Paper Hanging and Upholstering,

Sail Makers and Awning Makers,

Paper Bags,

Steam Heating Apparatus,

Wooden Ware Factory,

Watches and Jewelry,

Shirt Makers, Drawers, &c,

Hats and Caps,

House and Sign Painters,

Engravers, Die Sinkers and Stencil Cutters, . . .

Dress Makers,

Photographers,

Matches,

Ship Building and Marino Railway,

Picture and Looking-Glass Frames, Carvers, Gilders,

Amounts carried forward, 1,927

Establish-
ments.

1,446
12
6
1
3
2
2
2

11

14

8

14

1

3

39

17

8

23

10

3

4

11

10

4

3

53

3

4

8

21

1

10

10

1

1

1

39

16

10

22

12

15

21

1

2

18

Number of
Hands.

22,125

180

361

24

20

84

234

41

133

101

130

232

53

48

241

207

86

85

173

68

124

141

77

24

244

148

164

52

121

79

16

78

49

. 25

23

100

72

220

131

69

98

94

61

105

45

79

Value of Produc-
tions, omitting
fractions of dol-
lars.

,664,773
567,635
656,400
526,125
557,155
430,000
399,000
396,034
391,704
379,884
369,030
369,907
350,000
339,500
320,976
268,700
254,304
252,759
236,738
245,002
235,500
220,168
265,000
255,000
244,400
186,246
169,715
168,435
165,450
162,350
159,153
155,284
154,527
153,275
150,000
150,000
140,710
137,060
120,550
116,550
115,900
115,890
114,010
110,000
104,000
102.732

26,065

3,147,531

OF BALTIMORE

119

ESTABLISHMENTS.

Amounts brought forward,

Book Binders, Blank Books and Passe Partout,

Vinegar Makers,

Pearl Hominy and Corn Mill,

Chemical Works,

Gas Works,

Whips, Canes and Umbrellas,

Paint Colors,

Queensware,

Locksmiths and Bell Hangers,

Furriers,

Shot Works,

Scale Manufacturers,

Fire Bricks,

Silver Ware Manufacturers,

Handles and Spokes,

Bone Dust Manufacturer,

Metal Manufacturer,

Copper Smiths,

Mattress Manufacturers,

Turning Stone,

Rivet and Spike Works,

Saw Mill,

Soda, Mineral Water and Syrup Manufacturers,

Potteries,

Plaster Mills,

Hoop Skirt and Corset Makers,

Gas Meters,

Tonic Bitters,

Banners, Regalia, Flags, &c,

Gold and Silver Plated Ware,

Rope Makers,

Steam Sawing and Splitting Kindling Wood, .
Bottlers of Porter and Mineral Water, . . .

Burr Mill Stones,

Iron Safe and Vault Maker,

Willow Ware,

Trunk Makers,

Stone and Granite Cutters,

Soap Stone Worker,

Building Materials,

Brush Makers,

Dyers and Scourers,

Truss Manufacturers,

Snuff Manufacturers,

Carpet Weavers,

Amounts carried forward,

Number
of

Number of

Value of Produc-
tions, omittiDg

Establish-

II11 11 'Is.

fractions of dol-

ments.

lars.

1,927

26,065

$48,147,531

13

120

91,021

3

6

88,000

1

12

85,497

1

7

75,000

1

411

75,000

10

44

77,000

1

12

75,000

1

93

75,000

21

52

69,029

5

29

65,500

1

12

62,354

2

5

62,000

2

60

61,000

2

30

60,000

1

50

60,000

1

10

58,000

1

5

56,000

7

20

52,625

6

26

52,200

1

3

51,636

1

11

50,000

1

15

50,000

7

28

49,776

5

37

48,249

3

22

46,920

5

33

46,270

1

25

45,000

3

12

43,600

3

22

42,500

G

33

42,317

3

35

38,890

3

10

38,000

3

15

36,000

2

19

35,530

1

12

35,000

2

79

34,500

8

31

31,800

6

47

30,853

1

24

30,000

1

10

30,000

4

25

29,000

10

20

27,450

4

13

27.250

4

16

26,955

10

21

26,488

2,105

27,687

$50,441,741

120

HISTORICAL SKETCH

ESTABLISHMENTS.

Amounts brought forward,

Wig, Ornamental Hair Works and Hair Dressers,

Cigar Box Makers,

Curled Hair Manufactory,

Horse Shoe Makers,

Boat Builders and Oar Makers,

Bark Mill,

Gold Leaf Manufacturer,

Tobacco Pipe Manufactories,

Organ Manufactories,

Show Case Manufacturers,

House Furnishing Goods,

Slate Roofer,

Japanners and Bronzers,

Wire Cloth and Wire Works,

Scroll Sawing,

Barrel Factories,

Musical Instrument Makers,

Gun Smiths,

Horse Shoers,

Block and Pump Makers,

Shoe and Gaiter Uppers,

Hydrants and Pumps,

Coffin Makers,

Type Founder,

Basket Makers,

Milliners,

Mathematical and Nautical Instrument Makers, .

Sponge Goods,

Saw Factories,

Dress Trimmings,

Stereotype and Electrotype,

Cotton Press,

Glass Stainer,

Shoe Blacking Maker,

Leather and Riveted Hose,

Cutlery and Surgical Instruments,

Plane Maker,

Hoisting Machines and Dumb Waiters, ....

Belt and Calf Roller Skins,

Provision Safe Maker,

Sewing Machine Repairers,

. Billiard Table Maker,

Pyrotechnist,

Chair Makers

Copper Lightning Rods,

Amounts carried forward,

Establish-
ments.

±2M

J umber of
Hands.

2,105

27,687

$50,441,741

5

13

26,450

4

30

24,964

1

12

24.392

7

16

24,000

6

12

22,679

1

8

20,400

1

9

19,000

2

22

18,900

2

14

18,400

2

7

18,300

3

11

18,200

1

5

18,000

3

8

17,800

3

7

17,600

1

14

17,579

3

24

17,488

2

3

17,000

7

14

16,600

4

10

13,100

5

11

12,298

2

5

12,200

1

4

12,180

7

12

12,120

1

15

12,000

6

8

11,200

9

15

11,000

4

10

10,750

1

5

10,500

2

8

10,000

10

10

10,000

1

14

10,000

1

15

10,00.)

1

4

9,300

1

2

9,000

2

6

9,000

5

12

8,950

1

3

8,000

1

5

8,000

1

1

7,512

1

o

7,500

5

6

7,300

1

1

7,200

1

4

7,000

2

5

6,700

1

1

5,300

28,110

Value of Produc-
tions, omitting
fractions of dol-
lars.

$51,057,603

OF BALTIMORE

121

ESTABLISHMENTS.

Amounts brought forward,

Toy Manufactory,

Ornamental Plaster Works, . .
Patent "Wheel Manufacturer,

Edge Tool Makers,

Plaster Centre Piece Maker, . .
Pocket Book Makers, ....

Hair Tonic,

Tool Dresser,

Roofing Paper,

Show Cards,

Last Makers,

Gold Leaf Manufacturer, . . .

Seine Maker,

Thermometers,

Smoking Tobacco,

Tooth Powder Manufacturer, .

Gold Pen Maker,

Cotton Domestic Manufacture, .

Stocking Weaver,

Lace Repairer,

Artist,

Number

of
Establish-
ments.

Number of
Hands.

Value (
tions
fracti
lars.

f Produc-
omitting
onsof dol-

2,236
1

28,110
10

$51,057,603
5,000

2
1

3
1

4,100
3,600

2
1
2
1
1

2
1
2
3
3

3,125
3,000
2,800
2,500
2,500

1
1

3
1

2,500
2,400

2

2

2,100

1

o

2,000

1
1
1
1

25
1
1
1

2,000
2,000
1,800
1,700

1
1
1
1

1
2
2

1

1,500

1,500

1,000

800

1

1

750

2,261

28,178

$51,106,278

Of all our industries the refining of sugar seems to have been the
most extensive, affording a product of $6,882,462 ; while the industry
that approached in value was that of the 211 tailors and clothiers,
who, with 6,468 employes, realized $5,357,871 ; while the 4 sugar
refineries had required only 434 hands to earn their nearly seven
millions ! Significant as are the results displayed by this summary
of the productive industry of Baltimore, derived from the census
returns of June, 1870, we cannot but doubt their exactness in afford-
ing a complete picture of our labor, capital, and enterprise. There is a
morbid reluctance on the part of men to divulge the secrets of their
factories, warehouses, or dwellings. When the " census taker" ap-
pears, their reticence becomes aggravated. Some suppose there are
hidden designs of taxation in the inquisition set on foot by the Gov-
ernment ; others desire to conceal their business, — its extent, or its
poverty, — from the knowledge of competitors ; others, again, regard
the inquiry as simply impertinent and offensive, so that the mar-
shals are generally either misinformed or thwarted while endeavor-
ing honestly to comply with the requirements of law in presenting

122

HISTORICAL SKETCH

an exact tableau of their local industries. These remarks apply with
special force to the productions of individual or corporate industry,
and we doubt whether any census, taken under existing systems,
will ever do more than present proximate returns of the general
results.

STATISTICS OF RELIGION.

Statistics of Religion in Baltimore, in 1870, shoiv the following

Results :

Churches.

21

17
15
42
7
2
6
6
1
4
12
2
1
3
1
1
4
6
7
3

DENOMINATION.

Protestant Episcopal, . ..

Presbyterian,

Roman Catholic, . . . .
Methodist Episcopal, . .
Methodist Episcopal (South).
Methodist Independent, .
Methodist Protestant, . .
Reformed Church, . . .
Christian Church, . . .

Baptist, '.

Evangelical Lutheran, . .
Evangelical Association, .
Independent Church, . .

Friends,

Universalist,

Unitarian,

Jewish Synagogues, . . .
United Brethren, ....
African Methodist, . . .
Swedenborgian, ....

Accommodate.

14,050

14,275

25,000

26,020

5,000

1,300

4,600

5,040

600

3,600

10,000

800

1,600

3,250

700

800

2,750

6,600
900

Value.

(?)

$808,000

983,000

2,080,000

1,214,900

130,000

55,000
157,600
285,000

20,000

40,000
296,000

42,000
150,000
107,000

30,000
150,000
650,000

113,600
2.7,000

NEWSPAPER, PERIODICAL, LITERATURE.

The newspaper, magazine, and quarterly literature of the city is
comprised in the issues of seven daily newspapers, with an alleged
aggregate circulation, in all, of 82,500 copies ; of ten weeklies, with
an entire aggregate circulation of 67,694 ; of one tri-weekly, with a
circulation of 5,000 ; of four monthlies, issuing 10,200 copies in all ;
and one quarterly, with a subscription list of about 2,000 names.

OF BALTIMORE. 123

THE CITY PASSENGER RAILWAY.

The City Passenger Railway is now so much of an "indis-
pensable institution" to our citizens, and has produced so much to
the development of Baltimore by its prompt and cheap trans-
portation to all parts, that it deserves special record in an analysis
of our resources and their prosperity. This association began its
public operations on the 28th of July, 1859 ; and, during the year
ending 30th April, 1862, in 50 cars and with 350 horses, carried
3,738,162 passengers — all the lines, except those of Charles, and
Albemarle, and High streets, being then in operation. The vast
stride of Baltimore's advancement is seen in the increase seven
years aftewards, when, in 1869, 75 cars and 600 horses, on 32
miles of track, transported 11,385,464 people. The tax of one-
fifth of gross receipts, payable to the city of Baltimore, for the
Public Parks, has been, up to the 1st October, 1870, $758,887;
while, since January, 1864, the Company has paid dividends on
stock and government tax to the amount of $350,000. It is
alleged that, from the large increase of value of labor and mate-
rials, the cost of working the road is 100 per cent, greater than
at the date of its charter.

IMPROVEMENT OF THE HARBOR AND ITS RIVER
AND BAY APPROACHES.

Appreciating the harbor of Baltimore as important not only for
its own private and general commerce, but, in fact, as a national
port of supply and delivery, especially as a depot of coal and naval
supplies, the United States Government has, for several years, united
with this State and City in expenditures for the deepening of the
river channel to our wharves. Up to 1858, the result was a practi-
cable channel, 150 feet wide and 22 feet deep, from a point one mile
and a half below Port Carroll, to a point just beyond !Korth Point,
about four and a half miles in length, with several incomplete cuts,
extending a mile or two below. The whole work was then left in
an unfinished condition. In 1866, there was a careful resurvey by
the general government of the river and bay below Fort Carroll, and
the fact was developed by it that the tides and currents, setting

124

HISTORICAL SKETCH

down the Susquehanna, had already materially injured the excava-
tions that had been previously made below North Point ; and it was
moreover shown that all the lower portion of the original line of
channel, eastward of the Seven Foot Knoll light, was subject to
obstruction by fields of floating ice. In consequence of this, a new
channel was traced out by Col. Craighill of the IT. S. Engineer
Corps, U. S. A., and now called after him, 200 feet wide and 22 feet
deep at mean low water, with a length of four and seven-eighths
miles, deflecting from a point of the Brewerton Channel three-
fourths of a mile below the Seven Foot Knoll light, and running
thence due south towards Sandy Point. A revised estimate of the
whole route, from Fort McHenry, with an increased width of 50 feet
beyond the original plan, was also submitted; and in November,
1869, the new thoroughfare was opened to commerce, while that
part of the Brewerton Channel, above the junction with the new
one, was nearly restored to its original dimensions of 150 feet width
and 22 feet depth.

Thus, Baltimore, at length, has a deep, straight and secure
channel for her commerce, and the Government a depot for that
species of coal which is not only best for her steam vessels of
war and transports, but, of course, more economically sujiplied in
Baltimore from our Maryland mines, than from any other port
in the Union.

VALUE OF IMPORTS AND EXPORTS.
District of Baltimore, for the Years:

Imports.

Exports.

Imports.

Exports.

1847, . .

$4,146,743

$9,826,479

1854, . .

$7,750,387

$11,306,012

1848,

5,245,894

7,209,609

1855, . .

7,772,591

11,675,996

1849,

5,291,506

8,660,982

1856, . .

10,140,838

13,362,252

1850,

6,417,113

8,530,971

1857, . .

11,054,676

11,398,940

1851,

7,243,903

6,466,160

1858, . .

7,954,422

10,235,890

1852,

5,978,021

7,549,768

1859, . .

10,408,993

8,724,261

1853,

6,331,671

9,086,910

OF BALTIMORE.

125

STATEMENT

Of Foreign Merchandise Imported into, and Domestic and
Foreign Merchandise Exported from, the Customs District
of Baltimore, Md., from July 1st, 1859, to June 30th, 1870,
inclusive.

IMPORTS.

DOMESTIC
EXPORTS.

FOREIGN MERCHANDISE
EXPORTED.

Fiscal year

ending

Free of

Paying

Total

Total

Free of

Paying

Total.

June 30.

Duty.

Duty.

Value.

Value.

Duty.

Duty.

Value.

1860, . . .

$4,563,593

$5,221,180

$9,784,773

$8,804,606

$24,178

$475

$24,653

1861, .

1,907,343

4.541.762

9,449,105

12,949,625

18S,202

102,456

290,718

1862, .

632,313

3,064,307

3,696,620

8,375,303

35,780

62,21S

97,998

1863, .

177.664

4,306,735

4.4S4,399

11,013,871

850,425

224,776

1,075,201

1864, .

159,882

5,675,621

5,S35,503

8.741.755

826,269

112,781

939,050

1865, .

94,456

4.721,998

4,816,454

11,794,546

33,357

313,134

346,491

1866, .

235,534

7,920.4".7

8,155,991

10,804,012

59,041

44.030

103,071

1867, .

616,877

11.592,632

12,209,509

10,995,348

6,073

122,457

128,530

1868, .

687,928

12,242,805

12,930,733

13,857.:V.»1

470

164,664

H.. "..134

1869, .

269.471

15,593,561

15,863,032

13,657,530

2,760

237,790

240,550

1870, .

776,088

18,736,380

19,512,468

14,330,248

846

199,379

200,225

DUTIES

Paid, in Coin on Imports, Baltimore, for the years folloicing :
to December 31st, 1870, inclusive.

1860,
1861,
1862,
1863,
1864,
1865,

$1,166,590 77
T-2'2,443 04
1,941,529 51
1,919,2-29 99
2,167,120 05
2,983,202 33

$4,665,064 35
5,798,820 85
6,217,496 41
9,027,513 03
9,122,239 29

These figures, from 1860 to 1870, comprising the disastrous and
paralyzing period of the civil war, (the last year of peace, and the
last year since the end of the war,) compare advantageously with
the thirteen years prior to the war ; and, in the last decade, show
an actual doublino; of our commerce.

126

HISTORICAL SKETCH

BANKS AND CAPITAL.

In considering the interests of Baltimore and their development,
we have rarely conversed with a well informed merchant who was
not impressed with the deficiency of bank capital in our city, or of
its occasional misuse by boards entrusted with its management. It
is true that Baltimore suffered, as we have shown, in early days, by
the miserable accommodation and credit system, fostered by the
banks at that time ; yet these systems have not been altogether
abandoned, notwithstanding our experience, so that a more liberal
supply of monej^ through regular banking institutions would doubt-
less afford a much more secure basis of trade than the private dis-
counting which has prevailed at various times to so great an extent
among us. The legalization of a higher rate of interest would,
doubtless, be a step in advance. " The Bank of Maryland, with
$200,000 capital, was established in 1790, and a branch Bank of
the United States in 1792. In 1795, the Bank of Baltimore was
chartered with $1,200,000 capital. ISTine years after, in 1804, the
Union Bank appeared with $3,000,000 capital, reduced (we believe)
25 per cent, in 1821. In 1810, the Commercial and Farmers, the
Farmers and Merchants, the Franklin, and the Marine Banks, with
a capital of $1,709,100. In 1811, the City Bank, with $839,405.
In 1812, the Mechanics Bank was created with an original capital
of $1,000,000, reduced 40 per cent, also in 1821, and in 1818, the
Savings Bank of Baltimore was incorporated."

These constituted our financial institutions, together with the
branch of the second Bank of the United States — whose disastrous
explosion we have mentioned — until 1834, when the Merchants
Bank, and afterwards a few others were added, after considerable
efforts and importunity. "We have in all nineteen banks, and three
savings institutions.

The able report of the Corn and Flour Exchange, of this year,
alludes to our deficiency in striking terms: "In 1861, the banking
capital of Baltimore was $10,408,000, it is now, nine years after-
wards, only $11,606,000, showing an increase of but $1,197,000.
Meanwhile our neighbors of Philadelphia, in 1861, had $11,963,000,
and have now $17,117,260; an increase of over five millions of
dollars; nevertheless, judging from the returns of the officer of the
United States Customs of Baltimore, our city to-day outranks

OF BALTIMORE

127

Philadelphia as a port of entry. Our custom receipts for the current
year exceed those of Philadelphia ; our imports having increased
during the five last years nearly 300 per cent. The increased aggre-
gate trade, not including the great increase of our manufactures, has
been fully one hundred per cent., while our banking capital, for the
same time, has augmented but 10 per cent." The increase of
legal interest to 7 per cent, would, doubtless, retain private as well
as banking capital, legitimately belonging here, which, under our
existing laws, seeks other points for investment, and it would,
doubtless, cause capital to flow to us, for the same purpose, from
other localities.

GRAIN AND FLOUR TRADE OF BALTIMORE.

The grain trade of Baltimore for the year 1869, demonstrates that
our city maintains her position as the second grain market of the
Atlantic coast. The aggregate receipts of every kind of grain for
that year were 8,515,755 bushels, an excess of 722,247 bushels over
1868. The receipts of wheat were 3,239,994 bushels, an increase of
943,001 bushels; of corn, 3.923,563 bushels, a deficit of 162,914
bushels; of oats, 1,171,354 bushels, an excess of 55,379 bushels; of
rye, 180,844 bushels, an excess of 36,155 bushels. The total receipts
of grain upon the Corn Exchange floor, for the five years beginning
with 1864, were 34,995,964 bushels, showing the receipts of 1869
to be 1,516,562 bushels in excess of the average of those preceding
years. The flour market, specially is shown by the following
tableau.'- ;

Flour Inspections in Baltimore for I860.

Total inspections of wheat flour for 1869,
Dispersed as follows :

Shipped foreign,

Shipped coastwise,

Taken for local trade and neighboring wants,
Balance stock in hand, January 1st, 1870, .

Barrels.

350,121
215,000
444,860
105,000

Barrels.

1,123,981

1,123,981

128

HISTORICAL SKETCH

Flour Inspections in Baltimore for the last six, years.

1870.

1869.

1868.

1867.

1866.

1865.

Howard Street, .
City Mills, . . .

Ohio,

Family, ....

264,758
369,-208
281,790
201,578

242,508
378,526
306,607
196,340

216,635
344 978
200.870
125,927

215,985
335,661

78,598
84,516

189,871

329,466

328,788

65,009

244,246

398,819

262,080

78,846

Total, . . .

Rye,

Corn Meal, . . .

1,117,314

4,751

19,641

1,123,981

5,497

41,939

888,410

9,183

46,099

714,760
14,115
45,463

913,134
11,199
46,061

984,021
12,255
32,892

Exports of Flour from, Baltimore for the last five years.

DESTINATION.

Great Britain, . . .

Bremen,

Holland,

France,

Brazil,

River la Plata, . . .
British N. A. Colonies,
Venezuela, ....
West Indies, . . .
Other ports, ....

Total, ....

1870.

36,777

28

579

185,045
18,882
20,696

74,875
2,050

338,932

50,066

337

55

180,524

9,894

19,645

98,377
223

359,121

7,740

20

3

103,540

32,025

101,800
1,318

246,446

1867.

2,948
103
158

78,683

7,400

19,456

51,677
835

161,260

6
16
33

92,541

16,507

70,070
125

179,298

These show an increase of export of flour of 112,675 barrels over
that of 1868, and of 179,823 barrels over the export of 1866.*

* The flour production of the city will be found in the general tableau of city
productions, as given by the census returns of 1870, which is contained in this
section. The flour and meal production of the adjacent county of Baltimore is at
least $2,500,000 in value, and of the adjacent county of Carroll, half a million of
dollars more.

OF BALTIMORE. 129

THE TOBACCO TRADE.

The tobacco trade of Maryland, of all that staple produced in our
State, may be said to centre at Baltimore, as the great depot of
inspection, sale and shipment to foreign countries. Tobacco is still
one of our most valuable agricultural products, notwithstanding the
deterioration of qualities from the very early days, as well as the
change of labor-system within the few last years. For many years
it absorbed the attention of farmers and planters to the entire
exclusion of grain, and it was not until the occurrences described by
us in a previous part of this article, that, the failure of foreigners
to buy the weed forced our planters into the wiser and healthier
culture of the cereals which must always be needed, as they are
the necessaries, and not the luxuries, of life.

But the peculiar characteristics of our Maryland tobacco at
present, afford it only a limited field for consumption, as it is
unsuited for cigars, snuff or chewing, and used solely by smokers of
the pipe, who are contented with, or confined to, a very cheap
article. Hence it is consumed chiefly by the peasantry of Germany
and Holland, who cannot afford the price paid for a richer tobacco,
and would unquestionably smoke their wretched home-grown weed,
if the rates were significantly raised. This has been often proved
when European dealers and manufacturers were obliged to pay
over four cents per pound to our planter for his commodity. As
soon as this rise occurred, the foreign demand ceased, and the
German cultivation began ; and Baden, which had raised but
30,000,000 pounds, soon doubled her crop. Accordingly, tobacco,
like most of the luxuries of life, has to be dealt with wisely and
gently by legislators, especially when its inferior grade fails to
commend it to the consumers of " Cabanas" and " Partagas," and
leaves it exclusively to the poor abroad, to whom the stimulus and
not the aroma of the plant is the only essential. In this respect
bad whisky seems to have still a decided advantage over bad
tobacco, and finds its recompensing consumers among the rich as
well as the indigent. But whisky is more subtle than tobacco ;
and can disguise its flavor from the palate ; while tobacco, in con-
sumption, must forever disclose its qualities as soon as it touches
our lips. Hence the poor buyers of our cheap tobacco will bear no
interference with their rates, and begin to plant as soon as we begin
to demand higher prices. In 1857, when a partial failure of the

130

HISTORICAL SKETCH

tobacco crop and consequent speculation sent up the rate of ordi-
nary Maryland to seven and eight cents per pound, the European
markets did not respond, and it only led to increased cultivation.
The high prices of 1857, caused Russian manufacturers to substi-
tute Turkish and other varieties of similar appearance for "yel-
low" and " spangled" Ohio tobacco, of which they had been previ-
ously consuming more than 2,000 hogsheads yearly. The smokers
probably were not at first pleased by the change ; but cheapness and
the smoke satisfied them for the time ; and, gradually becoming
habituated, they grew so contented that it is doubtful whether they
will ever re-demand the Ohio staple, even when attainable at old
prices. Rough smokers, like the majority of peasantry everywhere,
soon become demoralized in taste ; and free from the plague of
excessive sensitiveness, put up, in time, with " oak leaves" if they
cannot get tobacco, or do not know that the artful cheater has mixed
the oak with the genuine article. We trust, therefore, that in
future State and National legislation, tobacco will be carefully
treated ; and, especially, the products of Ohio and Maryland, for
which it is far easier to find substitutes than for Virginia and
Kentucky, and other similar Western tobaccos.

As figures disclose most faithfully the fluctuations of production
and consumption, and show the character of a trade more distinctly
than mere narrative, I shall present some tables, carefully prepared
under the auspices of the Baltimore Board of Trade, embracing the
operations in Baltimore in this staple, from 1848 to 1870 :

Tobacco Inspections at Baltimore from 18Jf8 to I860, inclusive.

YEARS.

1860,
1859,
1858,
1857,
1850,
1855,
1854,
1853,
1852,
1851,
1850,
1849,
1848,

Kentucky

Maryland.

Ohio.

and
other kinds.

Total.

51,000

23,000

3,100

77,503

44,480

15,331

3,022

62,801

45,200

22,300

3,169

70,669

38,057

7,640

1,608

47,305

38,330

12,959

1,563

52,852

28,470

10,097

991

39,558

20,048

10,362

2,560

38,970

29.248

17,947

1,472

48,667

29,5G9

17,720

1,043

48,332

25,013

10,798

931

42,742

27,085

13,965

783

41,833

30,689

13,664

1,248

45,601

23,491

9,702

703

33,906

OF BALTIMORE.

131

Exports of Tobacco from the Port of Baltimore for the same

period.

YEARS.

1860,
1859,
1858,
1857,
1856,
1855,
1854,
1853,
1852,
1851,
1850,
1849,
1848,

24,700
19,180
16,542
18,034
20,612
9,103
18,016
18,947
22.860
12,654
15,864
18,821
12,787

Rotterdam,

22,700

21,735

18,059

11,711

14,215

7,510

7,407

10,395

11,473

9,694

7,815

13,783

7,910

Amster-
dam.

5,244
1,253

3,825
4,054
7,779
10
5,583
9,980
5,067
4,154
5,973
8,725
3,103

France.

6,825
8,311

16,935
7,438
4.891
7,527

10,180
5,380
7,679
2,327
8,177
9,562
5,761

All other
places.

7,677
5,495
11,173
6,325
8,301
1,144
4,006
5,986
7,734
5,292
6,940
1,033
131

Total.

67,142
55,974
66,534
47,562
55.798
36,392
45,192
50,688
54,813
34,124
44,368
51,924
38,890

STATEMENT

Of Inspections, Exports and Stocks Tobacco, from 18G1 to 1S70,

inclusive.

YEARS.

1870,
1869,
1868,
1867,
1866,
1865,
1864,
1863,
1862,
1861,

Inspections.

Exported.

41,510

32,519

44,548

44,494

37,959

32,800

58,996

61,930

47,660

52,663

43,952

42,005

52,873

45,052

55,975

44,137

58,699

55,447

67,571

85,237

Stocks.

7,345

4,023

8,779

8,506

17,645

22,297

20,938

21,560

6,470

24,500

132

HISTORICAL SKETCH

Tobacco Inspections at Baltimore from 1861 to 1870, inclusive.

YEARS.

1870,

1869,
1868,
1867,
1866,
1865,
1864,
1863,
1862,
1861,

Kentucky

Maryland.

Ohio.

and
other kinds.

Total.

25,696

13,614

2,200

47,070

27,782

15,716

1,050

44,548

27,064

9,644

1,251

37,959

41,387

21,505

905

63,747

• 31,515

15,396

566

47,660

25,479

21,961

3,077

43,952

28,518

17,032

2,140

52,619

36,676

13,560

2,267

55,975

41,493

14,152

3,646

58,699

50,407

23,000

3,012

67,571

SHIPMENTS

Of Maryland and Ohio Tobacco from Baltimore, January 1st to
December 31st, for fourteen Years.

1857.

1858.

1859.

1860.

1861.

1862.

1863.

1864.

1865.

1866.

1867.

1868.

1869.

1870.

Bremen, .

17,427

15,660

18,593

24,767

31,911

12,280

10,288

15,469

13,738

15,005

22.190

9,381

17,358

9,676

Rotterdam,

11,715

17,985

20.715

22,949

22,708

11,542

7,993

11,868

7,910

15,198

21,137

5,632

7,763

8,014

Amsterdam

4,066

3,759

1,298

5,221

8,183

8,024

3,370

4,837

4,753

4,192

5,467

7,910

6,992

5,893

England, .

2,148

4,288

1,950

3,010

6,440

3,827

3,109

2,467

1,084

682

2.358

2,109

1,192

4,872

France,. .

7,438

16,935

8,401

6,825

5,215

4,470

6,383

7,457

5,863

6,320

9,959

5,766

9,672

1,908

Spain, . .

2,601

1,169

6,296

5,050

2,280

5,212

818

1,669

202

Trieste,

1,213

1,140

900

46

Russia, . .

Aut\verp,&c

252

1,133

Total, .

44,259

62,368

50,957

64,841

75,590

48,439

30,193

44,378

38,560

42,215

61,111

32,461

42.077

30,611

Inspections

of Mary-

land and

Ohio foi

the same

period, .

45,697

67,50(

59,811

74,000

64,559

55,053

53,708

50,733

Hi. ST.", 47,094

58,091

36,708

43,788

37.709

The census returns (of 1870) that there were 254 establishments in
Baltimore for the manufacture of cigars and tobacco, employing
1057 hands, the value of whose produce was $1,843,922. This
return, of course, does not include the manufacturers whose yearly
product is worth less than $500.

OF BALTIMORE.

133

COFFEE AND SUGAR.

The Coffee trade of Baltimore, together with that of Sugar, has
always been one of the most important of our commercial interests.
When we enjoyed almost a monopoly of the " Colonial Trade," as
we have shown we did during the European wars, Baltimore may
be said to have been mistress of the market, and there is no reason,
— with our enterprise and novel facilities, — why Ave should not
approach, if not regain, our supremacy in supplying the great cen-
tral portions of this Continent and their dependencies. It is alleged
that in 1869 and 1870, Coffee importations were encouraged beyond
all precedent, the excess over 1867 and 1868, — the largest imports
previously known, — being very large. The comparative and pro-
gressive figures of the last five years' transactions in Coffee imports
are as follows :

Imports of Coffee at Baltimore for the past five Years.

FROM.

1S70.

18G9.

1868.

1SG7.

1866.

Rio Janeiro,
Laguayra &
Other Ports,

P. Cabello,

499,258

4,288
2,888

333,842

2,282
10,240

263,632

1,335

7,688

266,926
1,220

581
21,051

160,487

2,761

14,770

16,145

506,434

346,370

272,655

289,778

180,870

Imports of Coffee at Baltimore from Br axil for the past
twenty -three years.

YEAR.

Bags.

1848, . . .

1849, ...

1850, . . .

1851, . . .

1852, . . .

1853, . . .

1854, . . .

1855, . . . •

1856, . . .

1857, . . .

1858, . . .

1859, . . .

To"

204,485
186,173
144,492
256,142
224,080
185,980
200,829
249,060
197,989
203,560
188,019
230,984

Y EAR.

1860,
1861,
1862,
1863,
1864,
1865,
1866,
1867,
1868,
1869,
1870,

Bags.

181,292
137,300

;;. ;:."»

73,957
91,184
86,725
160,487
266,926
263,632
333,842
499.258

134

HISTORICAL SKETCH

This solid increase from 1848, when the import was 204,485, —
interrupted during the five years of war and its results, — demon-
strates the superiority of Baltimore as a distributing point for those
necessaries of life, Coffee and Sugar.

The importation of Sugar is required at Baltimore not only for
distribution of the raw material, but for the three large Refineries,
the Baltimore, the Calvert and the Maryland. The Calvert com-
pany has a capacity of refining from twenty-two to twenty-four
millions of pounds yearly ; the capacity of the Maryland Refinery
is about forty millions of pounds, and is equalled by that of the
Baltimore Refinery ; and during the year 1868 the quantity of raw
sugar worked by these three companies is estimated to have reached
very near sixty-seven millions of pounds. If the inducements become
sufficient, these Refineries can easily consume one hundred millions
of pounds of the raw material. In addition to these companies
there are three other refineries in Baltimore, working exclusively in
molasses, and producing lower grades of sugar, and it is from all
these late additions to our manufacturing interests that the stimulus
has been given to importation; the two trades combined contribut-
ing largely to the prosperity of Baltimore. The value of production
of our sugar refineries for 1870, was $6,832,462.

The following tables show the progress of Baltimore in sugar and
molasses not only for 1869 but comparatively for the last 18 years.

Imports of Sugar from January 1st to December 31st, for three

years.

1870.

1869.

1868.

Hhds.

Boxes.

Hhds.

Boxes.

Hhds.

Boxes.

Porto Rico, ....
English Islands, . .
French Islands, . . .
Louisiana, ....

32,369

38,575

14,481

4,213

1,010

57,717

31,955

34,169

8,719

2,596

275

59,412

32,776

31,647

12,392

1,640

513

46,833

Total,

90,648

57,717

77,714

59,412

78,968

46,833

Imports of foreign sugar reduced to tons were for 1870, 67,828 tons ; 1869, 59,673
tons ; 1868, 57,395 tons ; 1867, 37,565 tons.

OF BALTIMORE.

135

Imports of Sugar at Baltimore for eighteen years.

1852,
1853,
1854,
1855,
1856,
1857,
1858,
1859,
1860,
1861,
1862,
1863,
1864,
1865,
1866,
1867,
1868,
1869,

COASTWISE.

WEST INDIES.

Hhds.

Barrels.

Hhds.

Barrels arid
Boxes.

13,153

307

12,619

2,653

10,476

383

13,521

13,967

19,580

347

11,847

1,023

21,663

1,705

10,796

4,411

19,685

1,540

22,030

11,839

6,076

966

27,403

9,7S1

16,584

20,838

20,792

21,787

13,346

34,827

7,424

17.719

7,605

26,059

2,400

204

28,095

6,046

2,640

19,611

5,146

6,300

4,835

40,730

36,500

955

1,938

52,024

34,740

1,108

2,263

50,814

36,618

1,292

79

78,968

46,833

437

100

77,714

59,412

1870, total from all points, 90,648 hhds., 57,717 boxes, 25,421 bags and mats.

Molasses Imports for 1870.

Cuba, . . .
Porto Rico, .
English Island,
French Island,
New Orleans, .
San Domingo,

Total, 1870,

" 1869,

" 1868,

" 1867,

" 1866,

" 1865,

" 1864,

Hhds.

Tierces.

Barrels.

17,817

1,822

160

993

38

3,121

30

101

2,081

11

7

22,046

1,867

2,271

23,819

2,121

3,824

27.205

2,274

1,993

17,962

1,678

526

9,337

2,430

1,353

6,146

1,160

401

5,635

1,812

2,417

136

HISTORICAL SKETCH

Importations of Molasses at the Port of Baltimore for the last

eighteen years.

1852,
1853,
1854,
1855,
1856,
1857,
1858,
1859,
1860,
1861,
1862,
1863,
1864,
1865,
1866,
1867,
1868,
1869,

WEST INDIES.

Hhds.

7,027
3,820
3,518
2,124
4,460
5,907
6,860
8,518
9,216
2,933
3,172
5,380
5,635
6,146
9,337
17,962
27,205
23,819

Tierces.

2,064

632

1,105

445

1,758

4,018

1,557

1,341

725

409

2,550

1,466

1,812

1,160

2,430

1,678

2,274

2 121

80

72

157

32

1,115

5,^737

1,113

1,492

7,690

489

517

608

2,471

406

1,353

523

305

1,191

COASTWISE.

Hhds.

838
192

491
826

682

32

454

1,529

1,179

45

231

153

115
278

92
168

92

36
17
10

Barrels.

14,798

13,184

32,807

23,943

14,819

3,109

13,739

14,701

9,294

5,111

756

3,297

1,124

2,300

524

2,340

2,400

2,630

1870, total from all points, 22,046 hhds., 1,867 tierces, 2,271 barrels.

COTTON TRADE.

The facilities afforded by sea going steam navigation, promoted
so much by the cheapness and excellence of our Cumberland Coal,
esteemed the best " evaporative material " in the world, have begun
to make Baltimore an important cotton depot. This is owing to
our proximity to the cotton growing States, being the nearest
Atlantic port north of Norfolk and the natural outlet for the pro-
ducts of Virginia and North Carolina, brought to us by the Sea-
board Railway and the bay line of steamers. In addition to this.
Baltimore is, by rail, the most accessible Atlantic seaboard market
for the States of Missouri, Tennessee, and Arkansas, while the
expenses of handling and transhipping commodities are much less
in our city than in the Northern markets. The growth of the
cotton trade is shown by the exports of 1869, by which 15,502 bales
were sent to Bremen, 6,320 bales to Liverpool, and 875 bales to
Holland, making a total export in that year of 22,787 bales ; against

OF BALTIMORE

137

22,196 bales in 1868; 8,629 in 1867; 7,479 in 1866; and 965 in
1865 ; the gratifying, solid, progress of five years only.

The gross receipts of cotton at Baltimore for the past three years
is shown in the following; table:*

Receipts of Cotton for the past three years at the Port of

Baltimore.

F R (3 M

New Orleans,

Charleston,

Savannah,

Virginia and North Carolina,
Per Railroad,

1870.

1 869.

1 868.

Bales.

Bales.

Bales.

200
15,662

14,047

42,879
31,817

1.418
17,023

17.132
32, 758
23,982

653
17,782
14,963

39,948
19,702

104,605

95,313

93,048

Cotton Exported for the year ending December 31st, 1S/0, from

Baltimore, viz.

TO

Liverpool, ....

Bremen,

Rotterdam,. . . .
Halifax,

Total for 1870,
" 1869,

Bales.

11,970

15,331

2,316

10

29,627
22,787

The wants of Maryland and other cotton spinners, drawing their
supplies principally from this market, are from 35,000 to 40,000
bales per annum.

COAL TRADE.

The coal trade of Baltimore, from our own coalfields and from those
of West Virginia, is so important not only in consequence of the
quantity, but of the quality of the material — especially for steam

* The value of the cotton manufactures of the adjacent Baltimore county are
about $2,500,000 per annum, and of Carroll county at least half a million.

138 HISTOKICAL SKETCH

navigation — that it is important to dwell on it emphatically, as an
element of our city's wealth. This is especially the case, in con-
nection with the sea-going steamship lines, which we are establishing
with Europe, as well as all parts of our own coasts. The area of our
coal fields has not been defined with absolute precision, but there
are unquestionably about two hundred millions of tons of the " big
vein," untouched. Fourteen millions eight hundred and fifty
thousand tons, have been mined and taken to market in twenty-
eight years, between 1842 and 1869 ; and at the same rate of mining
this " big vein," will last one hundred years. The four and six feet
veins have been scarcely more than tapped, and, together, they con-
tain more than the big vein, for there is a greater area of these veins,
less being swept out of them by the water courses. " It is therefore
safe to say " — alleges a competent authority — " that the minor veins
will yield 2,000,000 of tons per annum, for another century ; so, if
we may feel sure that we can go on duplicating the production of
1869, until the year 2,070 or for 200 years, it is hardly necessary
for the present generation to be anxious about the exhaustion
of the coal measures of Alleghany. The production of 1868 was
1,380,000 tons, while the mining of 1869, was about 1,900,000
tons, showing an increase of 46 per cent., against the quite uniform
increase of 15 per cent., in the preceding years, when there existed
no such impediments in the avenues of outlet — as were caused
by war and injuries to the canal. The products of 1869, were as
follows :

By Cumberland and Pennsylvania Railway, . . .
By Cumberland Coal and Iron Company's Railway,
By Hampshire tramway Railway,

Total,

Tons.

l,57o,000
200,000
125,000

1,900,000

ISTow, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, brought to Baltimore
from the Cumberland and other mines, along which it runs, for
1869, 1,388,157 tons, against 815,506 tons in 1868. There was also
brought from the same mines by the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal to
Georgetown and Alexandria, 663,491 tons, against 485,070 tons the
previous year, being an increase by canal, of 178,421 tons. These
figures show an increase in the development of the Maryland and
West Virginia mines in 1869, of 741,062 tons. Of the receipts by

OF BALTIMORE

139

the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in 1869, 28,000 tons were shipped
to California and foreign ports, while 785,240 tons were sent to
Northern ports, in which last shipments 133,378 tons of gas coal
from the West Virginia mines were included. The Anthracite coal
of our market, is supplied by the Northern Central Railway Com-
pany, and the Tidewater Canal Company, whose combined capacity
of delivery, per clay, has been lately stated at 1,400 tons, a limitation
causing, it is said, the high cost of that sort of coal to Baltimore
consumers in late years. The coal delivery capacity of the Baltimore
and Ohio Railroad, is stated as four times greater than all the com-
bined water and rail capacity from the Anthracite regions, as thus
represented. In 1869, 168,000 tons of Anthracite were brought to
this market by the Northern Central Railway, and about 83,000
tons, by the Tidewater Canal.

WOOL, HIDES, LEATHER, GUANO, NAVAL STORES.

The greater part of our "Woolen mills were running during 1869 ;
the receipts of foreign wool were 813,275 pounds and of domestic,
682,500 pounds; a total of 1,495,775 pounds, against 1,125,000 re-
ceived from both sources in 1868, showing an increase of consump-
tion here of 370,775.

Hides were more liberally imported in 1869, into Baltimore ; re-
ceiving 49,564 from the Rio de la Plata, and 3,916 from other ports,
making 53,590 of direct imports, against only 4,306 in 1868 ; an
enormous increase of 49,284. The coastwise importation, however,
was diminished to 54,744, while the city-slaughter furnished, doubt-
less, full 50,000 more, and the bordering counties of the State,
additional numbers. The inspections here increased 18,245 in 1869.

Leather Inspections since 1863.

1863,
1864,
1865,
1866,

Sides.

238,463
261,257
311,300
313,726

1867,
1868,
1869,
1870,

Sides.

294,362
292,500
310,745
337,230

140

HISTORICAL SKETCH

There are in Baltimore, in 1870, 452 establishments engaged in
manufacture of and from leather ; employing 2,541 hands, the pro-
ductive value of whose labor, as given by the census of 1870, is
$3,552,880. The boot and shoe business is increasing solidly in im-
portance and wealth.

The fertilizing Guano is not yet displaced, among our agricul-
turists, by any of the late inventions, the

Imports of Guano for Three Years.

FROM

Chincha Islands,
Guanape, . . .
Navassa, . . .
Orchilla, . . .
West Indies, . .
Hod tin da, . . .
Coastwise ports,

Total,

4870.

Tons.

14,450

26,793

7,666

490

49,399

4 869.

5,900

1,525

7,105

470

951

3,800

19,751

4868.

Tons.

1,700

4,661

4,192
4,334
1,000

15,887

The trade in Naval Stores should be promoted more in a market
situated so favorably for its expansion. The following table exhibits
this commerce, comparatively, in 1867, 1868, 1869 and 1870 :

Receipts of Naval Stores for the past Four Years.

4 870.

4 869.

4 868.

4 867.

Barrels.

Barrels.

Barrels.

Barrels.

15,156
65,495

8,872

15,800

52,123

6,000

15,000

70,000

8,300

12,000
40,000

9,500

Total number packages, . .

89,523

73,923

93,300

61,500

OF BALTIMORE.

141

IRON, WHISKEY, FISH TRADE.

The production of home furnaces of Iron, in 1860, was about the
same as the two previous years — estimated at 35,000 tons, including
both anthracite and charcoal."

For several previous years, under the burthen of an excessive tax,
the production of Whiskey was either greatly diminished, or con-
cealed ; but since the Act of Congress reducing taxation, went into
effect in the latter part of 1868, together with the stringent pro-
visions for the collection of the impost, the revenue from whiskey
has increased and the trade assumed a legitimate and, of course,
much more satisfactory shape, at least in the market of Baltimore.
The receipts here, for 1869, are estimated to have been 100,000
barrels, from the West ; while the city and county production was
30,000 barrels more. The number of our small refiners has largely
increased, and competing, as they do, with the larger ones, they
have kept the market steady.

The Fish trade, always an important one for Baltimore, from
very early dates, owing to the prolific character of our bay and
rivers, has steadily maintained itself, as will be seen by the re-
port of

Imports and Receipts of Fish for 1870, and the total Compared
with a Number of Previous Years.

British Provinces,
New England, .
Southern, . . .

Total, 1870,

" 1839,

" 1868,

" 1867,

" 1866,

" 1865,

" 1864,

" 1863,

" 18C2,

Herrings.

* The iron production of the adjacent Baltimore county is at least $700,000
yearly, in value.

142

HISTORICAL SKETCH

PROVISIONS.

The Provision market, too, has been also at all times a main reli-
ance of Baltimore trade. The aggregate crop of hogs reported as
slaughtered in the season of 1868-69 in the "West amounted to
2,477,264, against 2,793,032, slaughtered in the season of 1867-68,
the decrease being estimated in pounds at fifty millions. The receipt
of the pork product, mainly from the West, in 1869, as near as can
be satisfactorily ascertained, reduced to tons, amounted to about
35,000. The foreign demand during that year was light compara-
tively, and, as usual, confined to the British Provinces, the West
Indies, with some bacon and lard to South America, and from
35,000 to 40,000 hogsheads of bacon to the Southern States of the
Union. Comparatively, for five years, the exports of provisions
from Baltimore were as follows:

1870.

18C9.

1868.

1807.

1866.

Beef, tierces, . .
Pork, barrels, . .
Bacon, boxes, . .
Bacon, pounds, .
Lard, kegs, . .

967
4,426

253,132

29,853

1,412

3,228

243,769
31,069

1,720
5,674

80

400,000

38,240

1,363

5,216

21

494,518

45,392

960
7,680

527, 6S0
46,000

The aggregate receipts here of Beef cattle for the year 1869 were
91,000 against 75,891 in 1868, and 55,713 in 1867 ; figures which
show a marked }rearly increase of this important trade. Out of the
receipts of 1869, 50,000 head were taken by the butchers of our city,
and#thc balance sent further east or north, or taken by farmers for
stock. Of the live hogs sent to this market, the quantity taken by
packers was small, the weather and season being unfavorable; and
almost the entire receipts of this species of stock were slaughtered
for local consumption.

There is a large consumption of ice by the butchers and packers,
the ice being stored generally by themselves and of inferior quality ;
but at least 55,000 tons of Northern and other ice are yearly con-
sumed by our citizens for their domestic purposes. Its introduction
from abroad began as late as 1827.

OF BALTIMORE. 143

OYSTER, FRUIT AND VEGETABLE PACKING.

In connection with the provision business of our city, the packing
of Oysters, Fruits and Yegetables, has, within the last twenty years,
grown to an importance in Baltimore, which has not only given our
city a special reputation in this trade, but by attracting attention
from abroad, has induced a large immigration. In fact, Maryland
has a monopoly of the best kinds of two of the greatest luxuries:
oysters and \Vhite Heath peaches.

The trade in oysters, hermetically sealed, it is reported, has, within
the two last years, greatly exceeded that of any previous year. It
was estimated, in a review of the commerce in this article during
186S, that ten millions of bushels of the Chesapeake bivalve were
consumed during that period, two-thirds of which quantity were
hermetically sealed, requiring fully 20,000,000 of cans annually.
If we add to this an equal number of cans for the fruits and vege-
tables packed within our borders, the vastness of this trade becomes
evident.

The census returns furnished to us in advance for this work show
that, in 1870, there were, in Baltimore city, thirteen oyster, fruit
and vegetable packing establishments, employing two thousand four
hundred and seventy-six hands, the productive value of whose labor
is recorded to have been 82,692,612. This is the official return ; jet,
we confess, it seems scarcely to comprehend the large capital and
industry employed in this important and lucrative branch of Balti-
more trade.

The extent of the oyster beds of the Chesapeake Bay and its
affluents is about 373 square miles, ninety-two of which are closely
covered, and the remainder scattering. This field could be made to
give profitable employment to 20,000 laboring men, under the wise
administration and enforcement of proper laws for the culture, pro-
tection and taking of this delicious shell fish. Almost every bend
of our bay shores, protected from storms, would become a source
of abundant supply, if not wealth, to the husbanding planter of
oysters ; while the shores of the whole bay and rivers, honestly and
discreetly managed, would yield wealth to the proprietors for cen-
turies to come, and sufficient revenue to the State to save the people
from a large part of present taxation. But, under the present reck-
less system of dragging and dredging, it has been predicted cer-

144

HISTORICAL SKETCH

tainly that our renowned oysters will in a few years be almost
entirely destroyed.

The extent of the beds is shown by the following tableau given in
the last, and excellent, report of the Commander of the Maryland
" Oyster Fleet."

LOCALITIES.

Swan Point, Kent county,

Chester river,

Sandy Point to Thomas Point, Anne Arundel county,

Love Point to Kent Point, Queen Anne's county, . .

Thomas Point to Horse Shoe Point, including South

and West rivers, Anne Arundel county, ....

Eastern bay and Miles river, including Poplar island,

Horse Shoe Point to Holland's Point, Anne Arundel
county,

Holland's Point to Patuxent, Calvert county, . . .

The Choptank river, including Sharp's island and the
outside of Tilghman's island,

The Hudson river, Dorchester county,

From the Patuxent to the Potomac,

From the Hudson river to Hooper's straits, Dor-
chester county,

Honga river and Hooper's straits, Dorchester county,

Pishing bay, Dorchester county,

Nanticoke river, Dorchester and Wicomico counties,

Monie bay and Wicomico river, Wicomico and Somer-
set counties,

Holland's straits, Dorchester county,

Kedge's straits, Somerset county,

Manokin river, Somerset county,

Big and Little Annamessex rivers, Somerset county,

Tangier Sound, including Holland's straits, Dor-
chester, Wicomico and Somerset counties, . . .

Potomac river and tributaries,

The Patuxent river,

From Hooper's straits to the Virginia line, on the
Bay shore,

Total, r . . . .

Square
Miles.

30

11

20
50

373

Remarks.

Scattering.

10 Close,

10 Scattering.

Scattering.

30

it

15

Close.

8

Scattering.

10

(i

12

u

10

It

14

It

12

Close.

7

Scattering.

2

a

7.

Close.

10

Scattering.

50

Close, but thin

20

10

Scattering.

15

Scattering.

OF BALTIMORE.

145

TJie following is the list of the Vessels and Canoes licensed in
Baltimore City and each County in the Season of 1S6S-
1869.

COUNT T ES.

Queen Aune's, .
Talbot, . . . .
Worcester, . . ,
Kent,

Anne Arundel,
Somerset, . .
Wicomico, .
Dorchester, . .
Prince George's,
Charles, . . . ,
St. Mary's, . . ,
Calvert, . . . .
Baltimore city, .

Total, . .

Dredging
Vessels.

Tonnage.

1

25

1

24

20

25G

338

4,726

12

143

46

1,316

1

42

1

29

2

32

1

28

240

6,039

503

12,660

Tong'g
Canoes.

105
246
81
93
222
246
110
257

22
336

189

1,907

The five hundred and sixty-three dredging vessels last season em-
ployed 2.107 white men and 1,453 negroes. The canoes employed
about 3,325 in all, with the same proportion of white and negro
labor, making a total of 6,885 men, independently of the labor em-
ployed in the carrying trade, which would probably swell the
number to between 9,000 and 10,000 hands employed afloat in the
oyster business.

That the exhaustion of the oyster crop of the Chesapeake by im-
provident modes of taking the fish, is surely and rapidly going on, is
proved conclusively by the inadequate supply and inferior quality of
the last season; so that it is to be hoped we shall not, in a very short
time, be deprived not only of the trade, but of the luxury its< If, by
the failure of our Assembly to exercise that prudent firmness of
legislation which will protect the beds of our bay from the senseless
rapacity of fishermen and packers.

In what quarter of the world would not the failure of the Chesa-
peake 03-ster be mourned as a calamity?

And this leads us, finally, to remember, that it is to our bay and
rivers that the country is indebted for the " Canvas-back duck," the

146 HISTORICAL SKETCH.

"Red-head," the "Bay Mackerel," the "Soft Crab," the luscious
" Hog-fish," and those vast stores of " early vegetables and fruits,"
which, transported from our warm Southern shores, in our fleet
steamers, gratify the gourmands of New York and Boston within
twenty-four hours after their departure from the Chesapeake. Our
gardens are renowned for the excellence of their products. We
gave, through our French gardeners, (refugees from Acadia and San
Domingo,) the salsafis, and egg-plant, and okra, and tomato to the
Union. No where in the nation can people " live better" than in
Baltimore; and no where have they a finer and more healthful
climate, or a more genial society in which they may enjoy their
living.

.#.

&~~y-vuxjt-^

HORACE ABBOTT.

We have been so long accustomed to regard the brilliant and daz-
zling successes of our arms on land and sea as alone deserving
commemoration, that those of civic life have been in great measure
overlooked. But "Peace hath her triumphs no less renowned than
War," and they who build cities and develop States deserve com-
mendation no less than those who defend and adorn them by their
skill and heroism. Truly the representative men of this century
are self-made, and their lives serve to "point the moral and adorn
the tale" which, telling what has been accomplished by honest firm-
ness and persistence, incites others to improve "the golden oppor-
tunity," to attain eminence and influence among their fellow-men.
These men, whose humble beginnings and earnest efforts, controlled
by an accurate and self-reliant judgment, have won them the admira-
tion and respect of the communities which they have benefited, are
living examples which prove that industry, endurance, and willing
hands are the essentials to success. Prominent among these, and
whose energy and enterprise caused him to achieve those herculean
labors which proved of such incalculable value to the Government
during the late civil war, stands Horace Abbott, who was born in
Worcester county, Massachusetts, in July, 1806.

Trained from early boyhood in the ISTew England school of thrift

and industry, he was at the age of sixteen bound apprentice to a

blacksmith. Faithfully serving his term of apprenticeship until he

was twenty-one years old, he worked for two years longer at his

trade as a journeyman, and may then be said to have fairly entered

upon the successful career which has since distinguished him. First

starting upon his own account, he set up a country blacksmith shop

which he continued in successful operation for six 3Tears. In 1836 he

removed to Baltimore. His attention had already been drawn to the

business of forging heavy ironwork; and the facilities offered in this

city — the convenience of its supplies of iron and coal and means of

water-shipment — determined him to devote himself here to the

development of this important branch of manufacturing industry.
11

150 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

He secured the " Canton Iron Works," then owned by Peter Cooper,
Esq., of New York, and for fourteen years prosecuted steadily the
business of making wrought-iron shafts, cranks, axles, &c, for steam-
boat and railroad purposes, during which time he forged the first
large steamship shaft wrought in this country. This shaft was for
the Russian frigate Kamtschatka, built in New York for the Emperor
Nicholas I., and such was the interest manifested in this huge pro-
duction of wrought iron, as it was then considered, that it was
exhibited at the Exchange in New York, and was doubtless the
means of stimulating others to similar feats of enterprise and skill.
This shaft weighed about 26,000 pounds. Other heavy shafts were
subsequently forged at the same works, which had now acquired a
just celebrity throughout the Union for the great size and excellence
of its productions. Not satisfied with his achievement in this line
alone, Mr. Abbott, in 1850, built a rolling mill, capable of turning
out the largest rolled plate then made in the United States'. The
advantages enjoyed by such an establishment over the manufacturers
of smaller plates, led to a vast accession of business, so that in 1857
Mr. Abbott was induced to erect another rolling mill of the same
size and capacity with the first. In 1859 he found it necessary to
add a third rolling mill to his now extensive works, which addition
was just completed at the commencement of the civil war in 1861.

The immense demands which the war occasioned at once gave full
employment to Mr. Abbott's works, and the heavy and urgent requi-
sitions of the Government were met with a corresponding energy of
production. The largest orders were filled with a promptness and
fidelity which elicited the special thanks of the departments and the
praise of the officers to whom the work was delivered. On one occa-
sion, in 1863, Mr. Abbott completed an order for 250,000 pounds of
rolled iron in forty-eight hours, and received from the Secretary of
the Navy a letter in commendation of his fidelity and energy. When
Ca] »tain Ericsson designed the first " Monitor" he was apprehensive
that this country contained no mills of sufficient capacity to furnish
armor plate of the requisite thickness and dimensions for this form
of iron-clad, and was under the impression that he would be com-
pelled to order them from England. Before doing so, however, he
applied to Mr. Abbott, who, realizing the emergency, but feeling
equal to the task, promptly undertook "to furnish whatever was
needed. The plates were manufactured and delivered in a shorter
time than had been anticipated. The Monitor was completed and
ready for sea in time to engage the hostile ram "Mernmac" in
Hampton Roads, and prevent her from accomplishing her mission of

HORACE ABBOTT. 151

destruction among the wooden craft of the navy then lying in the
roads. In her encounter with her formidable adversary, the Monitor
was so effectually protected by her armor that not a plate was pierced
or injured, and a new era was inaugurated in the history of naval
architecture and warfare. Subsequently Mr. Abbott furnished the
armor-} dates for nearly all of the vessels of the Monitor class built
on the Atlantic coast, and also for the JRoanoke, Agamenticus, Monad-
nock, and other large iron-clads. At the close of the war, in 1865, an
association of capitalists purchased the "Canton Iron Works," and
organized a joint stock company under the corporate name of the
Abbott Iron Company of Baltimore City. Mr. Horace Abbott was
unanimously elected President of this company, which position he
held for some time.

The works themselves, commonly known as the Abbott Iron
Works, situated immediately on the line of the Philadelphia, Wil-
mington, and Baltimore Railroad where it enters the city, and close
to the water's edge, present a striking and imposing spectacle to all
travelers entering or leaving Baltimore either by that road or by
water. At night the effect is peculiarly picturesque. The works
lit up by the glare of numerous forges and furnaces, with tongues of
flame darting from their many chimneys, alive with the bustle and
resounding with the labor of hundreds of stalwart men, working
not unfrequently in the tierce heat stripped to the waist, suggest to
the imagination the fabled workshops of the Cyclops. The glare
illumines the river and the sky, and at a distance presents the effect
of a city on fire. One thousand men are employed night and day in
these extensive works, whose capacity of manufacture in one single
department, that of railroad iron, is equal to one hundred and forty
tons per day.

The rolling mills are now four in number, with a fifth in course
of erection. The original mill, built by Mr. Abbott in 1850 for
rolling plate and boiler iron, contains four heating and two puddling
furnaces, a pair of eight-feet plate-rolls and a train of muck-rolls.
At the time it was built, this mill was the largest of the kind in the
United States, and it was predicted that it would ruin its projector.
Now, mill No. 2, completed in 1857, contains three heating and two
puddling furnaces, a Nasmyth steam hammer, one pair of eight-feet
and one pair of ten-feet rolls, — the latter being the largest plate-rolls
ever made in this country. Mill No. 3, built by Mr. Abbott in 1858
for manufacturing thin plates for gas-pipe, boiler tubes, &c, contains
two heating furnaces and a pair of five-feet rolls. Mill No. 4, com-
pleted in I860, contains three heating and four double puddling

152 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

furnaces, a pair of ten-feet rolls, a pair of " breaking-down" rolls, a
Nasmyth hammer, and other machinery of the most approved
character.

Although now retired in great measure from active business life,
Mr. Abbott is still an earnest and efficient worker in many ways.
He is identified with various enterprises of public utility, and is
always ready to assist from his ample means those which tend to
benefit the community, particularly in the construction and de-
velopment of railroads. He is a director in the First National
Bank, of which institution he was one of the founders, and also a
director in the Baltimore Copper Company, and in the Union Rail-
road of Baltimore city. Mr. Abbott now resides permanently at
his country home, immediately adjoining the limits of Baltimore
city, overlooking from its commanding site the scene of his former
labors and successes. He married in 1830 Miss Charlotte Hapgood ;
but of seven children which have crowned their union but one sur-
vives, a daughter, married to Mr. Isaac M. Cate, of Boston ; another
daughter, now deceased, married Mr. John S. Grilman, president of
the Second National Bank of Baltimore, and for many years the
junior partner of the firm of H. Abbott & Son.

A man of deeds rather than words, and of irrepressible perse-
verance, his straightforward manner and practical knowledge have
won him the confidence of his associates: while his exertions have
enabled him to surmount all obstacles, and made him an exemplar
to all on the eve of entering active business life. Throughout a
long life of usefulness he has maintained a character unsullied by
any act which could detract from his value as a citizen or his merit
as a man.

^^z^t^C^^^

ARUNAH S. ABELL.

Arunah S. Abell, the founder and now sole proprietor of that
widely-known and influential journal, "The Baltimore Sun," and
for more than thirty years a co-proprietor of the Philadelphia
Ledger, necessarily finds a place among the most prominent and use-
ful citizens of Baltimore. As none, perhaps, among those of whom
mention is made in this volume, have exercised a more immediate
and controlling influence over the community than he, so it may he
safely affirmed that none can furnish a more instructive or honor-
able record of success achieved by patient industry and well-directed
effort, and of a triumphant rise from small beginnings to position
and wealth.

Mr. Abell was born in East Providence, in the State of Rhode
Island, August 10th, 1806. His grandfather, Robert Abell, was the
grandson of Sir Robert Abell, a member of Parliament, four of
whose sons emigrated to America to avoid religious persecution, and
to find a peaceful asylum in this country.

Robert Abell served with honor and distinction in the war of the
Revolution. His son, Caleb Abell, the father of the subject of this
sketch, was an officer in the war of 1812, connected with the Quar-
termaster's Department ; during the whole of that contest he dis-
charged the duties of his position with a scrupulous integrity and
fidelity which were his distinguishing characteristics through life,
and when the war was ended, resigned his commission and retired
from the service of the Government a poorer man than when lie
entered it. In the community in which he lived and died, he was
held in the highest esteem, and for a period of thirty-six years was
called successively to till various local and civil offices of trust and
honor. His wife, the mother of Arunah S. Abell, was Elona Shep-
herdson, daughter of Colonel Arunah Shepherdson, and is described
by those who knew her, as a person of superior character and intel-
ligence.

Having received at school— to which he was early sent and where
he obtained credit both for good natural parts and for habits of

154 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

application — the elements of a plain education, Aran ah S. Abell was
placed, when little more than fourteen years of age, in the store of
Mr. P. Bishop, a dealer in what were called, in those days, " West
India goods." Here, while employed as a clerk and a salesman, and
receiving his first practical initiation in the methods and habits of
business, young Abell conceived the idea that for him the road
that leads to fortune Jay in another direction. He had a strong
desire to enter a printing office, and, beginning with the practical
part of the profession, to qualify himself eventually for the manage-
ment of a public journal. To this step the consent of his father
was necessary, which having obtained, in October, 1822, he forsook
the counting house, and entered, as an apprentice, the office of the
Providence Patriot, to learn the noble art of G-utenberg, of Caxton,
and of Benjamin Franklin. The Patriot was a Democratic journal
of the Jeffersonian school, at that time conducted by Messrs. Jones
& Wheeler. These gentlemen were printers both to the State and
Federal Governments, and had necessarily an extensive book and job
office. With them, Mr. Abell served a regular apprenticeship, and
when " out of his time," bidding adieu to the home and associations
of his youth, started out to seek his own fortunes and to see the
world. For the purpose of seeing to better advantage so much of it
as lay between Providence and Boston, he took a seat on the outside
of the coach which, in those days, before railroads were, furnished
the usual conveyance between the two cities. Arrived at Boston,
armed with letters of introduction to Mr. Greene of the Post, and
Mr. Buckingham of the Courier, two of the most influential news-
paper men in that city, he speedily obtained employment as a
journeyman in one of the best offices in Boston, where he soon gave
such evidences of his capacity, that he was promoted to the position
of foreman. About this time, his friend, Mr. Greene was appointed
by President Jackson, Postmaster of the City of Boston, and offered
Mr. Abell a lucrative clerkship in the Post Office under him. This,
however, the latter declined, thanking Mr. Greene for his kindness,
but at the same time telling him that he had a definite object in life
which he was resolved to pursue, and from which he would not
permit any prospect of gain or promotion, in any other career, to
divert him.

In those days, as now, New York was the great centre to which
young ambition and enterprise turned for the realization of their
hopes, and to that larger field young Abell was tempted to direct
his steps. lie carried with him letters of introduction and recom-
mendation to Major Noah and Colonel Webb of the Courier, Colonel

ARUNAH S. ABELL. 155

Stone of the Advertiser, and Colonel Morris of the Mirror. By
these gentlemen he was received with kindness, and put in the way
of immediate employment. He formed the acquaintance, in New
York, of numerous members of the craft, who, like himself, have
since, in other cities and parts of the country, become distinguished
as editors, proprietors, and publishers of newspapers, and with many
of whom he has kept up unbroken relations of friendship and habits
of intercourse. Among others he became acquainted with "William
M. Swain and A. H. Simmons, both practical printers ; and men of
shrewd sense and observation. One of these gentlemen proposed
to Mr. Abell to join them in establishing a penny paper in Xew
York city. It was then the infancy of the "Penny Press." Acting
upon the hint thrown out by the celebrated Henry, afterwards Lord
Brougham, men of sagacity and enterprise both in England and
America, had taken the initiative in establishing cheap newspapers.
The experiment, then only recently tried in Xew York, had already
proved a success, and Mr. Abell considered that particular field so
far occupied, that he was unwilling to repeat the venture in that
city. He accordingly declined the proposition which was made to
him, but offered, if the others were willing to join him, to engage
in the same undertaking in the city of Philadelphia, where no
penny paper then existed. His offer was accepted, and on the 29th
day of February, 1836, the following articles of agreement were
drawn up, and signed by the parties whose names are appended.
The original document, handsomely framed, hangs in Air. Abell's
dwelling, and will, doubtless, be handed down as a cherished heir-
loom in his family :

[copv.]

" This article of agreement made at Xew York, this twenty-ninth
day of February, in the year one thousand eight hundred and
thirty-six, between William M. Swain, Arunah S. Abell, and
Azariah H. Simmons, printers, all of said city, witnesseth : — That
said parties have this day entered into partnership as equal partners,
both in law and equity, under the firm of Swain, Abell & Simmons,
for the purpose of publishing, and in the publication of, a daily
penny paper, (neutral in politics,) to be entitled " The Times," in
the city of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, to be commenced
so soon as the requisite materials, room, &c, can be advantageously
procured. Said parties are to appropriate each an equal amount
in money, and are each to devote his time and energies either as
printer or in such other capacity as shall be deemed most conducive

156 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

to the interest of said firm, to the commencement, establishment
and success of said paper. In case of a difference of opinion with
regard to any measure of policy to be pursued, not expressed above,
the views of two shall be the governing principle. In witness
whereof we, the parties to these presents, have each hereunto sub-
scribed our names, the day and year above written.

(Signed) William M. Swain,
(Signed) Arunah S. Abell,
(Signed) Azariah H. Simmons."

Such was the beginning of the memorable association of Swain,
Abell & Simmons, which lasted for nearly a quarter of a century,
until dissolved by death, and which resulted in the establishment of
two of the most successful, widely circulated and influential jour-
nals in the United States, published in two of its largest cities,
the Public Ledger, in Philadelphia, and The Sun, in Baltimore.
Having formed their plans, the partners lost no time in putting
them into execution. They gave up their situations in ISTew York,
removed to Philadelphia, the necessary orders for type and mate-
rials were given, and everything gotten ready for the issue of their
first number. As will be seen from the above " Agreement," they
had given to their paper beforehand, the name of "The Times" and
a heading with that name had been cast for use. They then sud-
denly learned that a paper had been previously published in Phila-
delphia under that title, and had failed. ISTot wishing to start with
a name of ill-omen or to have their young enterprise regarded as an
offshoot or revival of a defunct concern, the partners resolved upon
a change of name. Mr. Abell made the happy suggestion of the
title " Public Ledger" which was adopted, and has since become in
the city of Philadelphia, and throughout a large portion of Penn-
sylvania, a household word.

On Friday, March 25th, 1836, within less than a month after the
partnership had been formed, the first number of the Public Ledger
made its appearance — "price one cent, or six cents a week." It
-was at first coldly received, and two of the parties became so much
discouraged as to propose a discontinuance of publication. Mr.
Abell, however, urged so strenuously the policy of holding on, at
least until their funds were exhausted, that the confidence felt
by his copartners in the soundness of his judgment led them to
deter to his wishes, and they did "hold on," with what splendid
results need not now be told. A series of vigorous articles, taxing

A RUN AH S. A BELL. 157

the citizens of Philadelphia with a want of liberality and public
spirit, with an unreasonable prejudice against the enterprise of
persons "not to the manner born," and a general narrow-minded-
. ness and sluggishness to business matters, served to awaken atten-
tion to the new daily, and contributed to its popularity among
the younger and more enterprising business men who felt the
truth and force of its pungent observations. The business of the
paper was now established upon a sound and paying basis, and
having no further misgivings about the future success of the
Ledger, it occurred to Mr. Abell, in the spring of the following
year, to visit Baltimore for the purpose of determining the feasi-
bility of establishing a penny paper in that city. A suggestion
from him to that effect meeting with the hearty approval of his
partners, Mr. Abell, in April, 1837, visited the Monumental City
for the first time. There were then published in Baltimore, a
number of respectable and well-conducted journals, but not a single
penny paper. They were all "six pennies." To the editors of these
journals, Mr. Abell brought letters of introduction, and he then
formed the acquaintance, among others, of Messrs. Dobbin, Mur-
phy & Bose of the American, Mr. Gwynn, of the Federal Gazette,
Mr. Harker of the Republican, Mr. Poe of the Chronicle, Mr.
Monroe of the Patriot, and Messrs. Streeter & Skinner of the
Transcript. It cannot be said, however, that any of these gentle-
men with whom Mr. Abell conferred in regard to his plans, held
out much encouragement as to the success of a new paper. In
fact the times seemed singularl}' inauspicious for any enterprise of
the kind. The year 1837 was one of unprecedented disaster and
gloom in all commercial and business circles, and all classes shared
the general depression. Mr. Abell, however, felt persuaded that a
penny paper would make its way where other enterprises might
fail. He returned to Philadelphia, impressed with this idea, and
obtained the approval of his partners to hazard the experiment,
upon condition that he should assume the immediate responsibility
and personal control. This, although he had just passed through
a similar trial of patience and faith, incident to the first estab-
lishment of the Ledger, he consented to do. "With the same
rapidity that had characterized their proceedings in regard to that
paper, when once their minds were made up, type and materials
were ordered, one of the best cylinder presses of that day pur-
chased from the Messrs. Hoe, an office taken on Light street, and
on the 17th of May, 1837, the first copy of The Sun was left at
the door of nearly every house in Baltimore. In its salutatory,

158 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

the new paper clearly defined its mission to which it has since
faithfully adhered. It declared that its object was to furnish a
paper, equal to any, at a price which would bring it within the
means of all who could read, and of the large number of persons*
to whom the more expensive dailies were inaccessible. The ex-
periment, novel in Baltimore, was justified by reference to the
success which had attended the penny press in England, in Xew
York and in Philadelphia. The article boldly magnified the office
of that press as a beneficent, moral agent, diffusing information
and knowledge among the poor and humble. It also made some
distinct pledges as to the rules which should govern the editorial
conduct of the paper, from which we extract the concluding portion.

" We shall give no place to religious controversy, nor to political
discussions of merely partisan character. On political principles and
questions involving the interest or honor of the whole country, it
will be free, firm and temperate. Our object will be the common
good, without regard to that of sects, faction or parties ; and for
this object we shall labor without fear or partiality. The publica-
tion of this paper will be continued for one year at least, and the
publishers hope to receive, as they will strive to deserve, a liberal
support."

The Sux was well received. In less than three months, it had a
larger circulation than the Ledger had attained at the end of nine
months. Within a year it circulated more than twice as many copies
as the oldest established journal in Baltimore. It is believed that
its success was more immediate and more rapid than has attended
the advent of any similar enterprise in the United States. At
that time (1837) the population of Baltimore was about 90,000 ; it
is now in the neighborhood of 300,000. The circulation of The
Sun has kept pace with this large increase, besides extending into
every part of Maryland, and to those portions of adjoining or neigh-
boring States, which have been brought into close connection with
Baltimore by means of railroads and postal facilities.

It was soon discovered that the original quarters in Light street
were entirely too contracted for the growing business of the paper.
Mr. Abell, accordingly, purchased the property at the southeast
corner of Baltimore and Gay streets, long familiarly known as the
"Old Sun Building," made such alterations as were necessary to
adapt it to its new use, and in 1839 removed the whole establish-
ment to that location. Soon, however, the same want of increased
accommodation to meet the requirements of an increasing business,
was again felt, and it was deemed desirable, that before making

A R U X A II S . ABELL. 159

another change, a site should be purchased, and a building erected
which should be expressly designed for the purposes of the paper,
and at the same time be an ornament to the city which had so
"generously fostered and rewarded the enterprise of the proprietors
of The Sux. To Mr. Abell was confided the task of selecting such
a site. After mature consideration, the lot at the corner of Balti-
more and South streets, in the very business heart of the city, was
determined upon, and Mr. Abell effected the purchase of tins valu-
able property — then occupied by fire old brick buildings, one of
which, at least, dated back to a very early date in the city's his-
tory— for a fraction less than $50,000. A more difficult and deli-
cate question was the selection of a plan for the proposed building,
which the proprietors of The Sux, had already resolved, although
it involved a cost far beyond what the mere necessities of a print-
ing office might require, should vie with, if it should not surpass,
any of the fine edifices with which the city was then adorned. It
happened that just about this time Mr. James Bogardus, of New
York city, a man of undoubted genius as well as mechanical skill,
was seeking for an opportunity to test in practice his invention for
the construction of iron buildings. His proposals had been but
coldly received in New York, and he was almost in despair of find-
ing a man intelligent enough to comprehend his plans, and liberal
enough to aid him in their realization, when fortunately he sub-
mitted his views to the proprietors of The Sun. They gave to the
plans of Mr. Bogardus the most serious and careful consideration,
and were soon convinced of their entire feasibility. They believed
that the substitution of iron for brick or stone as a building mate-
rial, would be found not only advantageous on the score of economy
and durability, but that it was free from any objection in point of
safety, and might be made to subserve any purposes of architectural
ornamentation and embellishment. Mr. Abell accordingly deter-
mined that the new building should be of iron, and erected ac-
cording to Mr. Bogardus' plan. It was the first structure of the
kind in America, if not in the world. It completely vindicated
the genius and skill of Mr. Bogardus, who built it, and illustrated
the sagacity and liberality of those for whom it was built. After
it was completed, many persons came from other cities to examine
it, and soon orders flowed in upon Mr. Bogardus in greater number
than he could fill. To The Sun Building itself we find the folio-w-
ing reference in a lecture delivered by "William P. Preston, Esq.,
at the Mechanics' Institute, in Baltimore city, December 12th,
1865. He said : " "Wliile calling your attention to the prominent

160 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

and beautiful buildings of Baltimore it would be a great over-
sight to omit one of the most imposing structures of the city —
The Sun Iron Building. It stands in its architectural beauty and
utility a lasting memorial of quiet integrity, liberal enterprise and
persevering industry. While the citizen may gaze upon it with
pride and admiration, as an ornament to the city, the capitalist or
the humblest man in the community may look upon it as an in-
centive to fruitful emulation. It will endure as a lasting monu-
ment to its founders, whose descendants may well point to it, as
illustrative of the precept and example under which their ancestors
rose through the medium of well-directed exertion to affluence and
distinction. The building, which is entirely constructed of iron,
finely cast and elaborately ornamented, is seventy-live feet long,
fifty-six feet deep, and about sixty feet high. In digging its
foundation it- was found necessary to go down to the depth of
twenty-five feet, and many thousand loads of gravel were removed,
which was applied to the repair of the Hillen road in Baltimore
county. The building rests upon thirty-one columns of Maryland
granite, sunk below the level of the street, twenty feet high, and
averaging two feet square. Each column has beneath it, resting
on the hard gravel bed, a massive block of granite four feet square
by one foot thick. If anything can defy the ravages of time, it
is probably this foundation. It is gratifying to know that the
iron work of this magnificent building— its ornamented columns —
its full-length figures in has relief, of Washington, Jefferson and
Franklin, and its various well-executed medallions, were cast in our
own city, at the foundry of Benjamin S. Benson, a valued member
of this institute."

It may be added that Mr. Bogardus naturally preferred that the
casting should be done in the city of New York, where he resided,
and where at less expense and with more convenience to himself, he
could superintend this part of the work, but Mr. Abell who has
always an eye and a thought to the interest of Baltimore and of
Baltimore mechanics, made it one of the conditions of the contract
that the castings should be made in this city.

As an interesting historical coincidence it may be further men-
tioned, that the oihYc of the first newspaper published in Baltimore,
stood on part of the ground now occupied by The Sun Iron Build-
ing. The Maryland Journal and Baltimore Advertize^ was printed
and published by William Goddard, in one of the old buildings,
which were removed to make way for the present imposing structure.
It was first issued on the 20th of August, 1773, and when in the

A RUN AH S. A BELL. 161

progress of the revolution, Mr. Groddard was called into military
service, the publication of the paper was continued by his daughter,
Miss Alary K. Goddard, who in the true spirit of the heroic women
of that time, supported with feminine ardor the patriot cause. It
would be curious to compare, if it were possible, the rude and
clumsy press upon which Miss Goddard's revolutionary manifestoes
were printed, with " Hoe's last fast," now in operation in the
vaulted press-room of The Sim Iron Building, throwing off 40,000
impressions per hour.

When The Sun was first started, and for sometime afterwards,
Mr. Abell had the personal assistance of Mr. Simmons who, at that
time, resided in Baltimore. Subsequently Mr. Simmons returned
to Philadelphia, leaving The Sun in sole charge of Mr. Abell, the
two other partners devoting their attention to the Ledger. This
arrangement continued until the death of Mr. Simmons, which
occurred December 9th, 1855, and which dissolved the original
copartnership of Swain, Abell & Simmons. The two surviving
partners immediately formed a new association, under the style of
Swain & Abell, and continued as before the publication of their two
papers, and the business of the printing offices connected with them.
Although equally interested in each paper, it naturally happened
that as Air. Swain lived in Philadelphia, and Mr. Abell in Balti-
more, the management of the Ledger and its concerns, fell to the
charge of the former, and that of The Sun continued in the hands of
the latter ; an arrangement which was found productive of entire
harmony, and which removed all occasion for interference or colli-
sion. Gradually, however, Air. Swain's health began to decline,
until he was unable to give to the Ledger his active personal
supervision. The war too broke out, and Mr. Abell's duties in
Baltimore became exceedingly difficult and onerous. His own
position and that of The Sun were not free from danger, when
public journals were suppressed and their editors incarcerated at
the mere will of a military commander, and to acid to his other
perplexities, his partner in Philadelphia took the extreme Northern
view in the conflict between the sections. Under these circum-
stances, Mr. Abell notified Mr. Swain of his willingness to dispose
of his interest in the Ledger, and finally, after considerable negoti-
ations and many delays, on the 3d of December, 1864, the Ledger
was sold to Mr. George W. Childs, the publisher, and the Messrs.
Drexel & Co., bankers, of Philadelphia. After the sale of the Ledger,
The Sun was conducted by Mr. Abell alone, as agreed upon between
his partner and himself, until February 16th, 1868, when Mr. Swain

162 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

departed this life in the sixtieth year of his age. Since the death of
Mr. Swain, Mr. Abell has sold his interest in the Ledger Building
and other real estate in the city of Philadelphia, which he held in
common with his late partner, to Mrs. Swain and her two sons, and
they in turn have sold to Mr. Abell all their interest in the Sun
Iron Building and other real and personal estate in the City
of Baltimore — thus completely severing the interests which were
formerly joint.

Having traced the history of The Sun from its origin to the
present time, it may not be improper to call attention to several
enterprises with which Mr. Abell has been incidentally connected
and to which he has contributed valuable support. By the intro-
duction of the rotary printing machines, the invention of Mr.
Richard M. Hoe, of New York, the art of printing has been nearly
revolutionized, and the world immensely benefited. After Mr.
Hoe had conceived the idea of placing type on a horizontal cylinder,
revolving on its axis, while the sheets of paper were pressed against
it by* smaller cylinders, and thus received the impression, he con-
structed two machines upon this improved plan, and offered them to
the leading journals of JSTew York. The invention was at once
pronounced impracticable, and none of the publishers of newspapers
were willing to try the rotary presses. It was insisted that in the
rapid revolution of the cylinder the type would fall out, and, becom-
ing entangled in the machinery tear the presses to pieces. Mr. Hoe
then oflered the machines to Messrs. Swain, Abell & Simmons, who
at that time were looking for new presses. They first examined
and then purchased the machines which the JSTew York publishers
had rejected. They ran with precision and accuracy, and without
the slightest accident from the time they were put up, until October,
1870, during which period not less than 500,000,000 of impressions
of the Daily and Weekly Sun were struck off by them. They were
of the four-cylinder class, averaging about 12,000 impressions per
hour. At the date last mentioned, in order to meet the demands of
the increased and still increasing circulation of The Sun, Mr. Abell
substituted for them two splendid machines, Hoe's latest improved
invention, of sixteen-cylinder capacity, and capable, at ordinary
speed, of throwing oft' 40,000 impressions per hour. Since the time
that tin1 proprietors of The Sun and Ledger, put in use the first of
these rotary machines, Hoe's presses have come into general use
throughout the civilized world. The Paris paper La Patrie, had the
first in use in Europe; Lloyd's Weekly Newspaper in London, the
second ; there are now in England and France several of these

A RUN AH S. ABELL. 103

machines, varying in size and capacity, from two cylinders up to the
ten-cylinder monsters, which are used to print the London Times.

So in the case of the electric telegraph — the wonderful invention
of Professor Samuel F. Morse — and perhaps the greatest of all the
wonderful achievements of modern science. In 1838 or 1839 Pro-
fessor Morse, having completed his invention, was an applicant to
Congress for assistance to enable him to test its value by practical
experiment; assistance, which, it will be remembered, that body
long refused, treating the invention as a chimera and its author as a
mere visionary and dreamer. In the course of his efforts to enlist
the support of the public press, Professor Morse visited Baltimore,
and made the acquaintance of Mr. Abell, who, after a careful con-
sideration of the subject, became a thorough convert to the Pro-
fessor's views, and threw all the influence which The Sun could
exert with reference to an untried theory in favor of his invention.
At length an appropriation of §30,000 was obtained from Congress
for the construction of an experimental telegraph line from Balti-
more to Washington. The line was put up, and the first document
of any length transmitted over the wire was the President's mes-
sage, telegraphed to the Baltimore Sun with so much accuracy as to
create universal astonishment. As a matter of scientific history the
Sun's telegraphic copy of the message was reprinted by the Aca-
demy of Sciences, at Paris, side by side with an authenticated tran-
script of the original. When a company was afterwards formed for
the extension of telegraphic communication from Washington to
Xew York, Messrs. Swain, Abell & Simmons were associated in the
enterprise with the Hon. Amos Kendall and B. B. French, of
Washington, Professor Morse and Richard M. Hoe, of lew York,
and others, who were the pioneers in this great work. Thus it will
be seen that the Baltimore Sun and its founders and proprietors
were largely and usefully instrumental in the first establishment
and introduction of three great inventions or improvements of mod-
ern times, viz. : the construction of iron buildings, the use of rotary
printing machines, and the magnetic telegraph.

Prior to the invention of the telegraph, and its daily and hourly
use as the great vehicle for the transmission of news from all por-
tions of the world, The Sun had acquired considerable celebrity for
its enterprise in the collection and publication of news. During
the war with Mexico, by means of the organization of a "Pony
Express," with relaj*s of fleet horses, across those portions of Louisi-
ana, Alabama, &c, where mail routes were circuitous and unreliable,
The Sun was enabled to furnish the country with the latest and

164 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

fullest information from our army in Mexico, and not unfrcquently
to give to the Government at Washington news of important mili-
tary operations clays in advance of its own dispatches. The same
means were frequently employed to obtain important commercial
news from New York, political intelligence from Washington or
Annapolis, and election results from outlying and doubtful districts,
in advance of the slower agencies of stage-coaches and packets. In
the same spirit of sagacious enterprise Mr. A bell organized, in con-
nection with Mr. Craig, afterwards agent of the Associated Press of
ISTew York, a carrier pigeon express for the transmission of news
between the cities of New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and
Washington. The pigeons for this service, about four or five hun-
dred in number, were kept in a house on Hampstead Hill, near the
Maryland Hospital for the Insane, and were carefully trained. For-
eign steamer news was frequently obtained in this way, and on
more than one occasion a synopsis of the President's message was
brought by the pigeons to Baltimore immediately after the delivery
to Congress, and published in extras to the great surprise of the
public. This was the first pigeon express organized in this country,
and was regularly continued until superseded by the magnetic tele-
graph.

While the progress of The Sun has been thus steady and its suc-
cess uniform, it must not be inferred that that progress has been
unattended with difficulties, or that that success has not been
achieved over obstacles. In the firm and conscientious discharge
of their duties as public journalists, the proprietors of The Sun have
frequently incurred, in former days, the hostility of the violent and
lawless elements of society which it was their business to rebuke.
They have been threatened with mob violence, but the paper never
swerved from its course in consequence of such threats. During the
dark hour of the civil war, when what it considered the usurpations
of arbitrary power, in like manner, incurred the censures of this
journal, an order for the closing of The Sun establishment and the
arrest of the proprietor was issued by the War Department in
Washington, and was about to be transmitted to the commander of
this military department, when Mr. Abell received information of
the fact in time to have an effective and earnest protest interposed
against lliis high-handed proceeding, and the execution of the order
was suspended. The motive which instigated the proceeding was
betrayed the day after, when two noted politicians called upon Mr.
Abell at his office, and desired to know if The Sun could be pur-
chased, and, if so, at what figure. They anticipated that with the

ARUNAH S. ABELL. 165

fate of other prints, which had been suppressed and their editors
incarcerated, staring him in the face, Mr. Abell would be only too
willing, if not thankful, to retire from his dangerous position and
to be rid of his precarious property at any sacrifice. They were
accordingly proportionably surprised and disappointed when they
found that their design was thoroughly understood, and were told
that The Sun was not for sale at any price which it was in their
power to offer. After the war was ended, The Sun took the lead in
counselling moderation and the exercise of a spirit of conciliation
and forbearance on both sides, with the view of healing as rapidly
as possible the wounds which the war had made, and of burying out
of sight the animosities it had engendered. In this course it has
steadily persevered, and there is reason to believe that its efforts
have been attended with great good. In this, as in all the marked
features of its editorial conduct, as well as in every detail of its pru-
dent and successful business management, The Sun has faithfully
reflected the cautious, moderate, and conservative temper and char-
acter of its proprietor. The Sun is emphatically what Mr. Abell
has made it ; and so strong has been the impress of his character
and will, that it may now be said to have acquired an individual
character of its own ; it has traditions from which it never departs,
grooves which it rarely leaves, a certain tone by which it is almost
invariably distinguished. Here it may be remarked, and it is an
illustration of what has just been said, that many of the persons
employed about The Sun office have been there for years. Not to
speak of others who have grown gray in Mr. Abell 's service in sub-
ordinate positions, and whom his sense of justice and natural kind-
liness have led him to retain, when their places might readily be
filled by younger and more active men, Mr. John Ricketts, the skill-
ful and experienced pressman, who, as chief of the press-room, has
control of the costly and complicated machinery now used for print-
ing The Sun, filled the same position in the little establishment in
Light street, where The Sun first started' nearly five and thirty
years ago. Mr. John Habliston, the trusted and esteemed cashier
of the present large concern, began more than thirty years ago as
office-boy in the establishment, and Mr. Frederick Young, the chief
of the composing-room, has filled that responsible post for more than
twenty years. These facts at once give an insight into Mr. Abell's
character, and furnish a key to one of the secrets of The Sun's success.
While, however, Mr. Abell has known how to stand fast and
hold on in some respects, resisting all temptations to fluctuation
and change, in other particulars, as we have seen, he has been ready
12

166 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

enough to adopt new and useful improvements. In addition to
those which have been already referred to, it may be stated that
Mr. Abell was the first to introduce into Baltimore the "carrier
system" for the distribution of newspapers, which has since been
found so convenient both to publishers and subscribers as well as
remunerative to the carriers themselves — who own their routes and
make their own collections — that it has been adopted by all the
papers of the city.

Another interesting and truly scientific improvement in con-
nection with the art of printing which Mr. Abell was prompt to
recognize and to adopt, is Mr. Craspe's ingenious process of stereo-
typing each day's paper, by means of a papier mache matrix or
mould, made for each edition, which is taken from the face of the
types as set up, and in which the plates are afterwards cast from
which the paper is actually printed, — the whole process occupying
scarce fifteen minutes. By this means The Sun is printed every day
from new plates cast for the purpose but a few minutes before the
paper is put to press. The same process is used by the London Times
and other leading journals in different parts of the world.

As the representative of his firm, and in his individual capacity,
Mr. Abell has at all times subscribed to feasible projects for de-
veloping the resources and promoting the prosperity of his adopted
State and city. Adhering strictly to the principle that no man ought
to accept an office, the duties of which he has not time properly to
attend to, and knowing that his position at the head of a journal
like The Sun, leaves him no time for other engagements, he has uni-
formly refused all offers of public position, trust, or honor. The
presidency of chartered institutions has been frequently tendered to
him, and even pressed upon him, but as invariably declined; and
although he has been director of the Magnetic Telegraph Company,
the Canton Company, and of various coal companies and other cor-
porations, he has always been elected without desiring it, frequently
without his knowledge, and sometimes against his consent. Outside
of the management of a public journal, which was the dream of his
boyhood, as it has been the gratified ambition of his life, and to
which he has devoted all his energies and da}*s, no man ever more
firmly held or more consistently practiced the doctrine that "the
post of honor is the/private station."

With such a career as we have portrayed; with such qualities of
prudence, judgment and foresight as have distinguished him, and
with the habits of order, system, and punctuality which have marked
his life, it is not remarkable that Mr. AbelFs means have increased

ARUNAH S. ABELL. 167

until he is now ranked among the solid men of Baltimore. Apart
from the profits of the two newspapers, The Sun and Ledger, his
investments, whether in the coal-fields of Pennsylvania and Mary-
land, in stocks or in real estate in the cit y of Baltimore or elsewhere,
have been safe, judicious and profitable. These tangible results of
his career are another exemplification of what an upright, intelli-
gent, industrious man, who devotes his mind and energies to a single
object, may reasonably hope to accomplish. As an illustration of
the constancy and tenacity with which Mr. Abell has pursued the
great object of his life, it may be stated that, with the exception of
a short tour in Europe a year or so ago, and a subsequent brief trip
to Cuba and the Southern States, he has been for more than thirty-
three consecutive years daily in the discharge of his duties and in
attendance at the office of The Sun.

/T^^?

^^.

7

C^>

WILLIAM JULIAN ALBERT.

William Julian Albert, the third son of Jacob and Rebecca
Albert, was born in Baltimore, August 4th, 1816. He is of Ger-
man descent, his great-grandfather, Lawrence Albert, having
emigrated from Wiirzburg, Bavaria, to America, in the year 1752,
and settled in Monaghan township, York county, Pennsylvania.
Here, by thrift and industry he acquired a respectable fortune,
which was augmented by the diligence and abilities of his son
Andrew. The original estate still remains in the possession of the
family. Jacob Albert, the father of the subject of this sketch,
finding an agricultural life unsuited to his tastes, removed to Bal-
timore in the year 1805, and with a small capital, furnished by
his father, embarked in the hardware business, in which, in the
course of time, he accumulated a large fortune.

Mr. Albert was destined by his father for the profession of law,
and pursued a collegiate course at Mount St. Mary's College, near
Emmettsburg, Maryland, at which institution he finished his edu-
cation in 1833, but the state of his health prevented his pursu-
ing the course of study necessary to fit him for the Bar. In 1835
he traveled for the benefit of his health through the Western
States, and as far south as New Orleans, regaining his health and
strength by the tour.

Returning to his native city, he determined to engage in mer-
cantile business, and in 1838 became associated with his father
and brother, Augustus James, in the hardware business, which
they carried on with success until the year 1855, when they re-
tired.

On the 15th of May, 1838, Mr. Albert married Emily J., daugh-
ter of Talbot Jones, a well known and respected merchant of
Baltimore.

In 1856 he assisted in reorganizing the Baltimore and Cuba
Smelting and Mining Company, and as director from that time
to 1862, devoted much of his time and energies to the interests
of the company, who were engaged in the smelting of copper ore.

170 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

His prudence more than once restrained his associates from em-
Larking in hazardous experiments in new processes for extracting
the metal, which in all probability, would have proved ruinous ;
and during the whole period of his directorship, the company was
eminently prosperous.

In the violent political agitation which followed the election of
Mr. Lincoln to the Presidency in 1860, Mr. Albert espoused the
Union cause, with zeal and energy, and brought all his influence to
the support of the administration. At the first meeting of citizens
of the Union party held in Maryland, which assembled at Catons-
ville, Baltimore county, to denounce the proceedings of South
Carolina, and to pledge Maryland to the support of the Govern-
ment, Mr. Albert presided.

At the outbreak of the war, and during its continuance, Mr.
Albert remained firm in his political principles ; and his social
position made him a central figure in the various movements made
with the object of preventing Maryland from joining the seceding
States. In the Summer of 1861, he was appointed a member of a
delegation, sent to wait upon the President, and solicit a portion
of the patronage of the Government in behalf of the people of
Baltimore, who were suffering in trade as a consequence of the
strong antagonism of the dominant party in the city and State,
to the administration ; and this mission was entirely successful.

At this time Mr. Albert's house had become the headquarters
of the friends of the administration, and the officers of the Army
and Navy frequently enjoyed his hospitality. In 1863 the " Union
Club" was founded for the purpose of supporting and centralizing
the Republican party in the State, and Mr. Albert, one of the
founders, became subsequently its president.

In the autumn of the same year he co-operated in the organiza-
tion of the First National Bank of Baltimore, of which he has
ever since been a director.

In the winter of 1863, a meeting of the friends of the Government
was held at Mr. Albert's house, and it was resolved to call a conven-
tion to amend the Constitution of the State. With the co-operation
of the Hon. Henry Winter Davis, and Judge Hugh Lennox Bond, a
majority was returned favorable to the abolition of slavery.

During this winter Mr. Albert was elected president of the Mary-
land State Fair, intended to aid the Sanitary and Christian Com-
missions in their benevolent labors. The Fair was opened during
the Easter holidays by President Lincoln, who was the guest of Mr.
Albert. This is believed to be the only occasion on which Mr.

WILLIAM JULIAN ALBERT. 171

Lincoln during Ms Presidency partook of private hospitality, or
entered a private residence as a guest.

In 1861 Mr. Albert was nominated by the Republican Conven-
tion as elector at large for the State, in the approaching Presiden-
tial election ; and being elected, was chosen president of the Elect-
oral College of Maryland.

The Constitution of 1864, having declared the abolition of slavery
in Maryland, Mr. Albert turned his attention to the condition of
the free blacks. He took a leading part in the foundation of the
association for their moral and educational improvement, and has
been its president since 1865. This association has already estab-
lished at least a hundred schools in the rural districts alone, offering
educational facilities to at least four thousand colored children, at
an annual cost of fifty thousand dollars. This liberal bounty is
derived almost entirely from private charity. In this connection
should also be mentioned the " Normal School," situated in Balti-
more, a seminary intended to supply teachers for the colored popu-
lation ; an institution which has ordinarily about two hundred
pupils in attendance, and is estimated to have cost twenty-five
thousand dollars.

The dissensions which arose in the Republican party during the
Presidency of Mr. Johnson, greatly weakened their numbers in
Maryland. A call was therefore made for those of the party who
supported the policy of Congress, in opposition to that of the Presi-
dent, to meet at the Front street Theatre, to urge upon Congress
the passage of the law known as the Civil Rights Bill. At this
meeting Mr. Albert was chosen chairman.

In 1866 the Republican party in the fifth Congressional District,
nominated Mr. Albert as their candidate for the seat in the House ;
and the nomination was repeated in 1868, in which year, also, he
received their nomination as elector for General Grant, in the Presi-
dential campaign.

During the period of the war, Mr. Albert was a member of the
vestry of Grace Church ; and his management of the affairs of the
church, at a time when he was left alone by the resignation of the
other vestrymen, will long be remembered by the congregation.
For twenty-five years he has been the treasurer of the Convention
of the Episcopal Church, in which office, despite differences of
political feeling, he has ever retained the confidence of both clergy
and laity.

Notwithstanding the many and arduous duties to which he
was thus called, his warm sympathies with the soldiers of the

172 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

Union armies in the field, led him to miss no occasion of minister-
ing to their comforts, or alleviating their sufferings. To this end
he assisted in establishing the " Soldiers' Home," for sick and
disabled soldiers, and also the Asylum for their orphan children.
He visited the battle-fields of Antietam and Gettysburg, and minis-
tered to the wounded on the field ; and assisted Bishop A. C. Coxe,
in his pious ministrations to the wounded and dying.

There is one incident in Mr. Albert's life which should not be
omitted. In the latter part of the month of December, 1860,
nothing seemed to portend the destruction of the Union more than
the embarrassed condition of its finances. The treasury was empty,
and the public credit apparently gone. Upon apprehensions being
expressed at the Depository in Baltimore as to the ability of the
United States to meet the interest on the public debt due on the
first of the following month, Mr. Albert volunteered, in case the
anticipated exigency should arise, to advance what would be neces-
sary to defray the demands upon the Government in this city.
Although it was not found necessary to accept his offer, it was
none the less patriotic.

In person Mr. Albert is a man of striking and distinguished
appearance, and of polished and agreeable manners.

JOHN C. BACKUS.

The Presbyterian Church has been identified with the annals of
Baltimore almost from its foundation, and very many of our most
eminent merchants, whose foresight and enterprise built up the city,
have been members of this denomination. Although at an earlier
period records exist of Presbyterian gatherings, there were no
settled minister and place of worship until 1763. The history of
the first Presbyterian Church of this city has been one of singular
power and prosperity, and all the other churches of the sect have
grown out of it. It is also remarkable that in one hundred and
eight years since the foundation of the first church, it has had but
four pastors, viz. : Rev. Patrick Allison, D. D., from 1763 till 1802 ;
Rev. James Inglis, D. D., from 1802 till 1819; Rev. AVilliam
Kevins, D. D., from 1820 till 1835 ; while Rev. John C. Backus,
D. D., the present pastor was settled in 1836, and has consequently
occupied the pulpit for thirty-five years.

John C. Backus was born in New York and graduated at Prince-
ton College. He entered the ministry, and when quite a j'oung
man passed through Baltimore on his way to New Orleans, and in
December, 1835, a few months after the death of Dr. JSTevins,
preached in the first Presbyterian Church. On the 11th of April
following he was elected pastor, and accepting the call was installed
September 15th, 1836. Since then he has been completely identified
with the church, and it being one of the oldest and most influential
institutions in the city, some notice of its history may properly be
given. Dr. Allison, toward the close of his ministry, prepared a
brief history of the congregation, in which he says: — "In 1761 the
advantageous situation of the town of Baltimore, induced a few
Presbyterian families to remove here from Pennsylvania, and these,
with two or three others of the same persuasion, who had emigrated
directly from Europe, formed themselves in a religious society, and
had occasional supplies, assembling in private houses, though liable
to prosecution on this ground, as the province groaned under a
religious establishment." Among these families were several men

174 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

who became eminent as merchants, John Smith and William
Buchanan ; followed shortly by William Smith, Robert Purviance,
"William Spear and others, all of whom exercised a very important
commercial influence on the city, and whose descendants to-day, in
many instances, reap the reward of their business enterprise.

In 1763, Mr. Patrick Allison was settled as the first pastor of the
First Presbyterian Church, and in December of that year the congre-
gation leased two lots on Fayette street, then called East street, and
erected a small log church thereon, in the rear of the present Christ
Church on Gay street. In March, 1765, finding this poor rude
building inadequate for its purpose, another lot was purchased west
of the old site, and a plain brick church was erected, forty-five
feet long by thirty-five feet wide, containing thirty-six pews.

In 1771, the building which had been completed in 1766, was
enlarged, and in 1772 an addition was made to the lot. In 1789
the congregation having been much increased in consequence of the
growth of the city determined on having a new church. It was
occupied in 1791, and continued in use almost seventy years, its site
being that of the present United States Court House, on the corner
of Fayette and North streets. The church was elevated some
twelve feet above the level of the street, and its large portico and
towers contributed to render it one of the most conspicuous build-
ings in the city.

When Dr. Allison was first settled, Baltimore contained only
about thirty houses, and when he died in 1802, the city had become
the third in the Union in magnitude, and the church established at
first by only five or six families, one of the most flourishing in the
country. Many of the most distinguished citizens of Baltimore
were members of the congregation during this period, and promi-
nently connected with the history of the city, as will be seen by the
following names : John Stevenson, John Smith, William Buchanan,
William Lyon, William Smith, James Sterret, William Spear,
Jonathan Plowman, Dr. Alexander Stenhouse, John Boyd, Samuel
Purviance, John Little, Samuel Brown, James Calhoun, Robert
Purviance, William Neill, Hugh Young, John Sterret, David Stew-
art, Nathaniel Smith, Joseph Donaldson, Robert Gilmor, William
Patterson, Christopher Johnston, Stephen Wilson, John Swan, Col.
Samuel Smith, and Dr. Brown.

Dr. Allison was a very distinguished clergyman, and during the
forty years of his pastorate acquired a reputation second to no min-
ister in the country, lie was a man of great executive ability,
sound learning, and an ardent friend of civil and religious liberty.

JOHN C. BACKUS. 175

He -was one of the founders of Baltimore College and the Baltimore
Library, and deeply interested in establishing schools. He was suc-
ceeded by Dr. Inglis, who had been elected as assistant pastor
shortly before Dr. Allison's death, in 1802.

Dr. Inglis was also a very eminent man, a fine scholar, an
eloquent preacher, and remarkable for his colloquial powers and
fund of anecdote. Under his ministry the society greatly prospered,
and several new congregations branched off from the parent church.
On the opening of North street, which was previously an alley, the
old parsonage was removed and a new one built in the rear of the
church. In 1811, an organ was introduced, which at first, among
the stricter members of the congregation, gave some dissatisfaction,
and one or two families left the church, although the feeling soon
passed away.

Dr. Inglis died suddenly on Sunday morning, August loth, 1819.

The church continued vacant about one year, when Dr. William
Nevins was chosen pastor. He was born in Norwich, Connecticut,
graduated at Yale College, and pursued his theological studies at
Princeton, Xew Jersey. He was settled in Baltimore, October,
1820, and his labors as pastor extended over a period of fifteen
years, until his death, in 1835.

When Dr. Backus entered on his pastorate, the church member-
ship was adorned by the distinguished names of Genl. Samuel
Smith, Hon. Robert Smith, Robert Gilmor, James Buchanan, Alex-
ander Fridge, Alexander McDonald, Judges Xisbet and Purviance,
Messrs. George Brown, James Swan, James Cox, James Armstrong,
James Campbell and Robert Purviance. All these were then living
and holding the very highest stations in the community, and all are
now dead. Since Dr. Backus commenced his labors the various
Presbyterian congregations in different parts of the city have in-
creased from three to fifteen, while the parent church has continued
to flourish vigorously. The Franklin Street Church, on the corner of
Cathedral street, was erected in 1846, and in 1851-2 the Westminster
Church, on the corner of Greene and Fayette streets, was erected,
occupying a part of the old burying ground of the first church.
After the erection of the Franklin Street Church, it was resolved to
remodel the parent church, which was accordingly done. The pul-
pit was removed and placed at the opposite end of the building, and
the pews reversed. They had always been placed facing the doors,
so that any belated individual was obliged to encounter the gaze of
the whole congregation as he entered the church, which was very
embarrassing to one of sensitive nerves. The time honored " green

176 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

arm-chair," directly in front of the pulpit, where the sexton sat in
state with hymn book and rattan, also disappeared. The old brick
floor, and the four wood stoves and long black pipes gave place to
modern improvements, and the quaint aspect of the ancient edifice
was greatly changed. At length the time came when the venerable
building itself was obliged to give place to another structure. For
many years the locality had been changing, offices and stores taking
the place of dwellings and most of the congregation had moved
far westward. In October, 1853, it was determined to erect another
church and dispose of the old one, and ground was accordingly
broken on the new lot, corner of Madison and Park streets, in July,
1854. The present beautiful structure of brown stone and of
pointed gothic architecture was then erected and completed, with
the exception of the tower, which remains unfinished. The final
service in the old church was held on the last Sabbath of Septem-
ber, 1860, when Dr. Backus preached an historical discourse of very
interesting character. The old site was purchased by the United
States, the church was demolished, and in its stead the United
States District Court House, of solid granite, was erected.

&

..

CHARLES J. BAKER.

Charles Joseph Baker, President of the Canton Company and
head of the house of Baker Brothers & Company, was born in this
city on the 28th of May, 1821. His parents, William and Jane
Baker, then resided at " Friendsbury," their country seat, situated
in Avhat is now the growing and rapidly improving northwestern sec-
tion of the city, within the corporate limits, although fifty years
ago, it was considered sufficiently remote from the built-up portions
of the town, to be denominated country. The paternal grandfather
of Mr. Baker, who was the head of the dry goods importing house
of Willam Baker & Sons, once well known in this city, came to
Baltimore to make his own way in the world at the early age of
twelve years, having been left an orphan by the massacre of his
parents and all the other members of the family, by the Indians,
about the year 1750. The scene of the massacre was near the foot
of the Blue Ridge Mountains, not far from the present town of
Reading, in Pennsylvania. The grandfather of Charles J. Baker,
on the mother's side, was Richard Jones, who emigrated to this
country from Caernarvonshire, in Wales, in 1781, preceding his
family, in order to provide a home for them, before sending for
wife and children to join him. He settled in Baltimore, in the part
of the city which has retained the name of Fell's Point, and began
business as a manufacturer and dealer in paints and oils, a branch
of commerce which three generations of his descendants have since
continued. In 1793, Mr. Jones purchased and improved the beau-
tiful site to which he gave the name of " Friendsbury," where the
parents of Mr. C. J. Baker resided until their death, a few years
since, and where the subject of this sketch was born. Like large
numbers of his countrymen, Mr. Jones in early life, before his emi-
gration to America, became a member of the Wesleyan Methodist
Society, under the preaching and influence of its celebrated founder,
whose personal acquaintance he enjoyed.

Charles J. Baker received his early education at home, and at
boarding school, at the Franklin Academy in Reisterstown, Balti

178 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

more county, then under the charge of Mr. X. C. Brooks. After-
wards, he was sent for a short time to St. Mary's College, in this
city, and, in 1835, entered the grammar school of Dickinson College,
Carlisle, Pa. In 1837, he was admitted Freshman in the College
proper, and graduated with the Class of 1841, under the presidency
of the Rev. J. P. Durbin, D. D. During his stay at Carlisle, in
1833, Mr. Baker united himself in membership with the Methodist
Episcopal Church, in that place. Upon the completion of his college
course, he entered the counting-room of his father, who was then
engaged in the manufacture of window-glass at the old Baltimore
glass works, at the foot of Federal Hill. In 1842, he started in
business with his brother, H. J. Baker, on their own account, in the
paint, oil, and glass trade, at No. 2 N. Liberty street. Shortly after
the firm became proprietors of the Baltimore "Window Glass and
Bottle and Vial Glass Works, previously carried on by Shaum &
Reitz. In 1843, the brothers removed to No. 42 South Charles
street, and enlarged their business, until, in 1848, they were enabled
to purchase the two warehouses, Nos. 32 and 34 South Charles
street, and changed the style of the firm to that of Baker & Brother.
In July, 1850, their two warehouses, with all their contents, includ-
ing $75,000 worth of glass, paints, &c, were destroyed by fire.
Nothing daunted by this disaster, the firm immediately commenced
the work of rebuilding, and, in the coarse of the following year, had
finished the present five story warehouses, Nos. 32 and 34, on the
same site. During 1850, the two brothers, Charles J. and Henry J.
Baker, organized the firm of H. J. Baker & Brother in New York
city, for the purpose of conducting the same business there, and also
importing French glass and chemicals. In 1851, the firm in Balti-
more was changed to Baker Brothers & Company, upon the admis-
sion of a new partner, Mr. J. Rogers, Jr., and so continued until
1865, when Charles J. Baker purchased the entire interest. of H. J.
Baker and Mr. Rogers, and admitted his two sons, William Baker,
Jr., and Charles E. Baker, into copartnership, retaining the old style
of Baker Brothers & Company.

As one of the results of a successful business career, as well as of
the enterprising and liberal spirit which has contributed so largely
to that success, Mr. Baker has become prominently and usefully
identified with various mercantile and manufacturing interests in
this city. In 1859, he was elected a director in the Franklin Bank,
and in 1867, was chosen its president. In 1860, he was elected a
director in the Canton Company, and in 1870, was elected president,
lie is also interested in the Maryland AVhite Lead Company, the

CHARLES J. BAKER. 179

Maryland Manufacturing and Fertilizing Company, and other kin-
dred enterprises of associated capital and skill.

Through the energetic efforts of Mr. Baker, as president of the
Canton Company, the Union Railroad, running from the north-
western limits of the city to tidewater, is being rapidly pushed for-
ward, and will be of immense service to the business of Baltimore.

JSTor have Mr. Baker's life and energies been so far absorbed in
business pursuits and undertakings, as to make him neglectful of
other and higher duties. His life as a citizen has not been unevent-
ful. In 1859-60, he took an active part in the Municipal Reform
movement of that year, and was a candidate for the second branch
of the City Council on the same ticket with George William Brown,
for Mayor, and was elected by a large majority. In the organiza-
tion of the branch, although the youngest member, Mr. Baker was
elected president ; which position he continued to fill during the
stormy and memorable days of April, 1861, and the period which
followed, — acting as Mayor of the city, ex officio, from September,
1861, to January, 186:2, while Mayor Brown was a prisoner in Forts
Lafayette and Warren.

The interest in religious matters which led Mr. Baker to identify
himself early in life with the Methodist Episcopal Church has never
failed or ceased. In 1855, he was associated as trustee of Balti-
more City Station with the late R. G. Armstrong, David Thomas,
John G. Chappell, Br. Roberts, and others, and was connected and
prominently identified with various religious movements and enter-
prises, such as the extension and rebuilding of the Eutaw Street M.
E. Church, the erection of the Madison Avenue M. E. Church, and
in the cause of missions, particularly the German Mission, under
Dr. Jacoby, in Bremen, Frankfort, and elsewhere in Germany. As
one of the trustees of Dickinson College, he manifested his interest
and kept alive his connection with the Alma Mater of his youth.
The dissensions, however, which disturbed the peace of the Metho-
dist Episcopal Church after 1860, led to Mr. Baker's withdrawal
from the position which he held in that body. He assisted in organ-
izing the Chatsworth Independent Methodist Church, and in build-
ing the present church edifice at the corner of Franklin and Pine
streets, and, subsequently, in 1867, he aided in building the Bethany
Independent Methodist Chapel at Franklin square.

The leading traits of Mr. Baker's character may be readily in-
ferred from the foregoing incidents in his career. Energy and
probity in business ; a high sense of duty in all the relations of life,
public and private ; a spirit and temper firm in the recognition

180 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

and advocacy of principle, yet withal kindly and conciliatory, and
always governed by the rules of Christian charity, and a liberal
heart and hand in the support of all undertakings, secular or re-
ligious, Avhich commend themselves to his sympathy and judgment,
have made Mr. Baker widely respected, trusted and esteemed in this
community.

Mr. Baker married, in 1842, Miss Elizabeth Bosserman, of Car-
lisle, Pa., daughter of Ephraim Bosserman, a merchant of that
place.

JOSHUA BARNEY.

This distinguished naval commander was born in Baltimore,
July 6th, 1759. Evincing an early predilection for the sea, he made
several voyages at a very youthful age, and on one of them was, by
the sudden death of the captain, placed in command of the vessel
when only sixteen years of age. After many adventures abroad he
returned to the Chesapeake in 1775, learning on arrival of hostilities
with the mother country. He was the first officer to unfurl the
American flag in Maryland on board the " Hornet'' of ten guns, of
which he was master's mate; and in June, 1776, was appointed
lieutenant in the navy. On the 6th of June he sailed from Phila-
delphia in the " Sachem," commanded by Capt. Robinson, and soon
captured a letter of marque brig after a fight of two hours. Bring-
ing their prize into Philadelphia, and being transferred to the
Andrea Doria of fourteen guns, they again sailed and captured the
" Racehorse" of twelve guns. Barney was shortly afterward taken
prisoner on one of his own prizes by the " Perseus" of twenty guns,
cruising off the Capes of the Chesapeake, carried to Charleston, and
released on parole. He was captured again in the " Virginia"
frigate by the British squadron in the Chesapeake, and sub-
sequently made a voyage to France. He was married in 1780 to
a daughter of Gunning Bedford, of Philadelphia. He again sailed
from that port in the IT. S. Ship " Saratoga" of sixteen guns, which
made several prizes, among others an English ship of thirty-two
guns, which was boarded by Barney at the head of fifty men. He
was ordered into the Delaware with his prize, but was again
captured by a squadron of the enemy and carried prisoner to
England. He adroitly escaped from prison, and after various
adventures, once more landed in Philadelphia in 1782.

In a few days after his return home he was appointed to the com-
mand of the "Hyder Ali," a small vessel, carrying sixteen guns,
and one hundred and ten men, being fitted out by the State of
Pennsylvania to aid in destroying the numerous Tory craft, which,
under cover of the British men of war, made great havoc with the
13

182 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

commerce of Philadelphia. She sailed on the 8th of April, 1782, iu
company with a fleet of merchantmen, with orders to convoy them
to the Capes of the Delaware, and then return into the hay for its
protection. On approaching Cape May road, the convoy was met
by two ships and a brig, and put back up the bay again. The brig
saluted Barney with a broadside, of which he took no notice, and
then ran after the fleet, when the " Hyder Ali," waiting for one of
the ships to come within pistol shot, poured into her a tremendous
fire, and then, as she fell along side, caught her jibboom in the
u Hyder Ali's" rigging ; thus giving Barney such a raking position
that iu twenty-five minutes the enemy struck his colors. Putting
his first lieutenant and thirty-five men on board her, and eluding
the other ship, Barney found that he had captured his Britannic
Majesty's ship " General Monk," of twenty guns, and one hundred
and thirty-six men. For this gallant action, which diffused great
joy through the whole country, Captain Barney received the thanks
of the Pennsylvania Legislature, which voted him also a costly
sword.

The name of the captured " General Monk" being changed to
" General Washington," Captain Barney was placed in command of
her, in May, 1782, proceeded to Havana, and on his return to the
Delaware, made a successful attack on a number of Tory barges,
destroying them, and recapturing the vessels of which they had
taken possession. In October, 1782, he was selected to carry out to
Dr. Franklin the instructions of his Government before the British
commissioners should arrive at Paris, and returned to Philadelphia
on the 12th of March, 1783, bearing the news of peace, and the
passport for his ship of the King of Great Britain. During the
next few years he embarked in various commercial enterprises, and
in 1793 his vessel was captured by three privateers. His spirit and
courage did not forsake him on this occasion, and five days after-
ward, he, with the aid of two warrant officers, rose upon the prize
crew and recaptured his vessel, bringing his English assailants
home with him. He again sailed for the West Indies, and on his
return, the second day out from Tort au Prince, he was captured by
the Penelope frigate, carried to Jamaica, and there tried for piracy
in recapturing his own vessel. The jury acquitted him, but his
cargo was condemned, and a number of years elapsed before he
succeeded in recovering his property.

On his return home he was appointed commander of one of the
six ships authorized by Congress to comprise the navy of the United
States, but declined to serve on account of a question of rank. He

JOSHUA BARNEY. 183

shortly afterward proceeded to France, sailing in company with Mr.
Mnnroe, the minister to that country, and was by him selected to
bear the American flag presented to the national convention. He
soon entered into the service of France, and held his command until
1802, when he resigned, and returned to the United States. He
continued in pursuit of his private affairs until the declaration of
war with Great Britain in 1812, when he at once offered his
services, and in less than a month, after the commencement of
hostilities, sailed on a short cruise in the " Rossie," of ten guns,
doing much damage, and capturing a letter of marque.

Being appointed to the command of a flotilla, fitted out at
Baltimore, for the protection of the Chesapeake, he left the
Patnxent river on the 1st of June, 1814, with the " Scorpion" as his
flag- ship, accompanied by a couple of gun boats and several barges.
He pursued two British schooners, but as he was coming up with
them a large two decker came in sight, and bearing down on the
flotilla forced it to seek shelter again in the Patnxent, From the
6th to the 11th of June, the enemy, being joined by other vessels,
several attacks were made upon Barney, which were gallantly
repulsed in each instance. Learning at this time of the meditated
attack on Baltimore and Washington, and communicating his in-
telligence to the government at Washington, he received orders to
run his flotilla as far as he could up the river, destroy it if liable to
capture by the enemy, and then to join his forces with General
Winder in defence of the Capitol. On the 21st of August, the
British troops having moved up from Benedict, on the Patuxent,
accompanied by a number of barges, under command of the
ruffianly Cockburn, reached lower Marlborough, when Barney's
flotilla sailed farther up the stream to Pig Point, being there left
under charge of Lieutenant Frazier ; — Barney having landed with
four hundred men and marched to the aid of General Winder, at
Wood Yard, on the road from Upper Marlborough to Washington,
and twelve miles from the Capitol. The flotilla was blown up the
next day, August 22d, when Cockburn's barges approached and
began firing upon it. On the 21th of August, Barney, with Win-
der's little army, marched to Bladensburg, where they found near
the village the remainder of the American forces under General
Stansbury. The gallant part which Barney took in the battle that
ensued, and its unfortunate result, have been too often narrated to
need repetition in the limited space at our command. Commodore
Barney was not again engaged, and peace being declared in Feb-
ruary, 1815, relieved him of his command. He was selected by the

184 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

President as bearer of despatches to the American plenipotentiaries
in Europe, and made a voyage in that capacity ; and in Xovember,
1817, was appointed naval officer of the Port of Baltimore. He was
about removing to Kentucky, where he had claims on a large tract
of land, when he was suddenly seized with illness at Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, and died there on December 1st, 1818, aged fifty-nine
years. He belonged to a school of naval officers of which few
specimens now remain, owing to the great changes in the service.
Trained in a career of perilous hardihood, he was rough and
impetuous, but of kind feelings, strict integrity and dauntless
courage.

2^^

JAMES LAURENCE BARTOL.

James Laurence Bartol, Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals of
Maryland, was born June 4th, 1813, at Havre de Grace, in Harford
county, Maryland. His father, George Bartol, was a respected and
successful merchant in that place ; his mother he had the misfortune
to lose when he was not quite three years old. His early education
was received at Havre de Grace, and was chiefly directed to his
preparation for the business of a merchant. In 1828, at the age of
fifteen, he came to Baltimore, inclined to accept a position that had
been offered him in a mercantile house, but, upon inquiry and re-
flection, was led to think better of his plans, and decided to resume
and continue his studies. Returning to his home, he was placed by
his father as a private pupil in the family of the Rev. Samuel
Martin, D. I)., a highly accomplished scholar, who then resided at
Chanceford, in York county, Pennsylvania. Here young Bartol re-
mained until 1830, and so thoroughly did he profit by the instructions
of his learned preceptor, that he was enabled at the age of seventeen
to enter the junior class of Jefferson College, Penns}'lvania, where
he graduated two years later, with college honors. In subsequent
years, and amid all the engrossing cares and duties of professional life
and of a high judicial station, Judge Bartol has never lost his early
love of classical literature and belles-lettres, but has wisely known
how to find time and leisure for both. Apart from the possession of
naturally refined and scholarly tastes, which have made at all times
the paths of literature both welcome and easy to him, this fortunate
result is, no doubt, partly due, in his case, as in that of most men
who are similarly able to retain and indulge in later life their fond-
ness for classical studies, to the thoroughness and excellence of his
early training, which he received when under the roof of the learned
Dr. Martin. That so man}' men in this country, even among those
who are accounted liberally educated, lose, within a very few years
after leaving college, the ability to construe tolerably a page of any
Greek or Latin author, is quite as often due to the superficial char-
acter of the education imparted, as to the occupations of a busy life,

186 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES,

which have driven from the mind all recollection of lessons which
could never have been more than half learned, else they would not
have been so soon and easily forgotten.

After quitting college, Mr. Bartol commenced the study of the
law, in the office of Otho Scott, Esq., at Bel Air, in Harford county.
He was as fortunate in the choice of a legal as he had previously
been in the selection of a classical instructor. Mr. Scott was de-
servedly considered in his day to be one of the ablest lawyers in
Maryland, and his were the brilliant and palmy days when the fame
of Harper, Pinkney, Wirt and Luther Martin had not yet faded, and
when Taney, Johnson, Nelson and McMahon were at the height of
their great reputation. Among these leaders of the bar, Otho Scott
held a foremost place, and enjoyed a high repute both for the extent
and soundness of his legal learning, and for the ability and acute-
ness which he displayed in the conduct of nisi prius cases.

"While at college, and afterwards, young Bartol's health became
seriously impaired, so much so that he was compelled to intermit
his close application to the study of the law, and undertake a voyage
to Cuba, where, and in the balmy climate of Florida, he passed the
fall and winter of 1835-36. He consequently did not apply for
admission to the bar until 1836. In the year following his admis-
sion, he settled in Caroline county and commenced the practice of
the profession, which he continued in that and the adjoining coun-
ties of the Eastern Shore, for more than seven years. During this
period he had frequent opportunities, had he been so disposed, to
enter into, political life ; but his tastes did not incline in that direc-
tion, and he kept aloof from the vortex of active politics. A more
congenial labor was that which he undertook in connection with
the establishment and organization of the Denton Academy, in the
success of which institution, as in the cause of education generally,
he manifested the warmest interest.

In the spring of 1845, Judge Bartol removed to Baltimore city,
still continuing the practice of his profession ; although in 1855, on
account of his health, which was still infirm, he fixed his residence
a short distance from the city, in Baltimore county. Although at
all times a consistent Democrat of the old-fashioned States rights
school, as already remarked, he had never been a politician; and it
was therefore with feelings of greater surprise than gratification,
that he received the announcement that without any solicitation, or
previous knowledge even on his part, he had been appointed by
Governor Ligon to fill the vacancy on the Bench of the Court of
Appeals, occasioned by the resignation of the Hon. John Thomson

JAMES LAURENCE BARTOL. 187

Mason. This was in 1857, and in the fall of the same year, the
choice which Governor Ligon had made was ratified by the people
in the election of Judge Bartol, as a member of the Appellate
Court, for the judicial district composed of the counties of Alle-
ghany, Washington, Frederick, Carroll, Harford and Baltimore.
His term of service expiring in 1867, and he having, in the mean-
time, removed to Baltimore city, where he now resides, he was
specially elected by the people of Baltimore a Judge of the Court of
Appeals, under the revised constitution of that year, and was desig-
nated by the Governor, by and with the advice of the Senate, Chief
Judge of the Court over which he now presides.

The judicial character of Judge BartoPs mind appears to have
been recognized by the profession even before he had been called to
the Bench. On the election of the late Judge Constable, under the
Constitution of 1851, it became necessary that a special judge
should be chosen to sit in the trial of the many important causes in
Harford county, in which Judge Constable was disqualified. By
the unanimous request of the members of the bar of that county,
Mr. Bartol was appointed to fill that office, which he did to the
entire satisfaction of the bar and the public ; holding several terms
of the Court, and deciding many important causes. He has been
frequently called upon to act as arbitrator in controversies which
the parties desired to settle without the delays and formalities inci-
dent to a trial at law. For this delicate and responsible duty, the
clearness and fairness of Judge Bartol's mind, his strict impar-
tiality, his calm, judicial temper, and his readiness to hear patiently
both sides, and to withhold his own judgment until the case was
fully before him, particularly qualified him. He has now sat upon
the Bench of the highest Court of the State for thirteen years.
His term of service has extended through the most trying period in
the history in the country and the State, during all which time no
imputation has been cast upon his personal or judicial character from
any quarter ; and he has commanded always the respect and confi-
dence of men of all parties, and of the entire people of the State.
Conservative both by nature and by habit, he is singularly free
from those judicial crotchets and vagaries from which sometimes
the ablest judges do not escape, and into which the most learned
and the cleverest are, perhaps, the most prone to fall. He brings to
the consideration of every case which comes before him a mind
remarkably free from undue prejudice or bias. His judicial manner
is also singularly fortunate. It is a model of judicial courtesy and
blandness. It is true, that judges in an Appellate Court escape many

188 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

of the annoyances and vexations which try the temper of nisi prius
judges. Still there is no judicial station which is without its share
of weariness both of flesh and spirit. In the Court of Appeals of
Maryland, counsel are usually limited in their speeches to one hour
and a half. It is very possible, however, to be both wordy and dull
within the limits allowed, but under no infliction of the kind is
Judge Bartol ever known to betray the slightest discomposure or
impatience. This faculty itself of listening patiently is very desirable
in a judge, and when it is accompanied, as in Judge Bartol's case, by
a manner unexceptionally kind and genial, it inspires confidence on
the part of counsel and suitors, and wins universal regard. To
young lawyers, especially, his manner is always particularly reassur-
ing and pleasant, tending to relieve their inexperience and embar-
rassment. Judge Bartol's opinions, delivered since he has been upon
the Bench of the Court of Appeals, are to be found in every volume
of the published Maryland Reports, from the tenth to the thirty-
first, (the last published,) inclusive. They are inferior neither in
matter nor manner to any which those volumes contain, and support
the high reputation which the Court has always enjoyed for ability,
impartiality and learning. The term for which Judge Bartol is
elected is fixed by the Constitution at fifteen years, and the age at
which, by the same instrument, a judge ceases to be eligible for re-
election, is seventy years. Judge Bartol's term will not expire until
1882, when he will be within one year of the age at which the Con-
stitution would make him ineligible.

The personal popularity of a judge is not always the best criterion
of his fitness for the position ; but in Judge Bartol's case, it may be
fairly accepted as the just reward of important public duties faith-
fully performed. As a man he is not less respected and esteemed
than as a judge. Indeed, purity of private life and of personal
character are so essential to the judicial office, that it is difficult
to understand how the two can be separated, or how men can
retain that respect for the magistrate which they have lost for the
man. In the case of Judge Bartol there is no occasion to draw
the invidious distinction ; but the same qualities which distinguish
his official career adorn and dignify his private life.

&wyL-

JOHN SUMMERFIELD BERRY.

The long and terrible struggle for supremacy between Parliament
and the Crown, in England, disastrous as it was to the mother
country, was fruitful in benefits to America, in enriching her
population by immigrants of such character, qualities and social
position as would scarcely have thought of voluntary expatriation
under any less stringent pressure. As King or Commonwealth
triumphed, prominent Cavaliers or Puritans found themselves too
deeply compromised for safety, or grew desperate of their cause,
and sought refuge from danger, or peace after long strife, among
their friends in the jSTew World.

Among these were General Berry's paternal ancestors, who emi-
grated to this country during the reign of Charles L, and settled
in a tract of country then known as a The Forest," in Prince
George County, Maryland. About a hundred years later, his ma-
ternal great-grandfather also quitted England, and took up his
abode in " The Forest,"

Colonel John Berry, the father of the subject of this sketch, was
well known to the last generation as a patriotic and worthy citizen;
and he formed one of that honored band, now dwindled to a handful,
who defended Baltimore in the last war with England.

In the early part of the year 1812, in view of the impending war,
the United States Government issued a circular, calling upon the
citizens to devise means for the production at home of various
important articles for which we were then dependent upon Eng-
land, and among the rest, of a fine brick, equal to the Stowbridge
brick, which was a staple article of importation. At this day,
many old houses may be seen throughout the State, built of the
large and dingy English bricks, brought over at heavy cost ; while,
had they but known it, almost at their doors, lay the finest brick
clay in the world.

In response to this call, Mr. John Berry, in 1812, established a
manufactory of fire brick, on the corner of Howard and Lee streets,
and succeeded in producing an article which has maintained to this

190 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

day a high reputation for excellence, and is still extensively used by
the Government, and in iron, copper and gas works.

In 1814, when the British fleet had entered the Patapsco under
cover of night, and Fort McIIenry had sustained a fierce bombard-
ment for twenty-four hours, its brave defenders began to grow
discouraged, as they found that their guns were of too light calibre
to reach the enemy's vessels, which, lying safely out of range,
rained shot and shell upon the heads of the garrison. It was then
that Captain Berry, commanding the Washington Artillery, re-
membered that the wreck of a French frigate L'Eole, had been
for years lying in the river ; and taking a squad of men he pro-
ceeded to the wreck, and with great labor succeeded in getting off
two large guns, which they brought up and mounted in the fort.
No sooner were they in position than, without waiting for orders,
he fired a shot from one which passed clear over the most distant
vessel, while the shot from the other gun, which immediately
followed, tore through her rigging. So surprised were the enemy
by this unexpected reinforcement of heavy artillery, that they soon
weio-hed anchor and retired down the river. General Armistead,
the commanding officer, sent for Captain Berry, and publicly com-
plimented him, saying that he had deserved well of his country.

After the close of the war, General Scott, for his bravery and
good service, issued a commission to Captain Berry as a colonel in
the regular army, for the Eastern District of the United States ; but
considering that his country had no further need of his services, he
declined the appointment.

John Summerfield Berry, the subject of this sketch, was born
June 18th, 1822, and was educated partly in Baltimore, and partly
at Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania. On leaving college, his
tastes inclining him to active business pursuits, he entered the dry-
goods store of Beale PI. Richardson, with whom he remained for
more than a year.

In 1845, he became associated with his brother-in-law, Mr. John
Hurst, in the wholesale dry goods business, and the firm carried on
an extensive trade for eleven years, after which he retired from the
business.

In 1857, he was elected as a Delegate to the Maryland Legisla-
ture, from Baltimore County, where he resided, and on the assem-
bling, of that body, was chosen Speaker of the House. The position
of Speaker at this Session was a peculiarly arduous one. Party
feeling ran high, and occasions continually arose where the presence
in the chair of a man of judgment, firmness and tact, was of the

JOHN SUMMERFIED BERRY. 191

highest importance. Mr. Berry, moreover, was an entire novice in
public life ; he had never before taken a seat in a deliberative body,
and was absolutely ignorant of parliamentary rules. But he applied
himself diligently to the study of the duties, annexed to his diffi-
cult and responsible position, and with such effect that during his
whole term of service, no appeal was ever taken from his decision.

In the very first days of his speakership, an incident occurred,
which we shall relate somewhat at length, as it is not only highly
characteristic of those stormy times, but is also almost without a
parallel in parliamentary history.

The House was in Committee of the Whole, the Speaker having
left the chair, and a highly excited and acrimonious debate was
in progress upon certain portions of the Governor's Message, which
reflected severely upon the party then in power. The House was a
full one, and the lobbies crowded with spectators, as the leading
men on both sides had taken part in the debate. A member had
the floor, and in the course of his remarks indulged in very severe
denunciations of the Governor, when another member excitedly
interrupted him, and persisted in the interruption in spite of the
orders of the Chairman. A scene of wild confusion followed,
which all the efforts of the Chairman were powerless to suppress.
It was known that not only the two disputants, who were now
wrought to a high pitch of excitement, were armed, but so also
were many of their friends, who were scarcely less excited, and at
any moment very deplorable consequences might have ensued. The
Chairman himself, carried away by the excitement of the moment,
declared that he would compel the interrupting member to take his
seat ; and leaving the chair he advanced upon him with the evident
purpose of using force to that end ; an attempt which would have
given the signal for an outbreak of violence, and perhaps a terrible
catastrophe. But the instant the Chairman vacated the chair,
Speaker Berry sprang into it, and in a commanding voice called the
House to order. Quiet was partially restored ; the two gentlemen
who had heen the cause of the tumult took their seats at the com-
mand of the Speaker, when a member arose, declaring that the Com-
mittee had not been dissolved, and demanding by what authority the
Speaker had resumed the Chair. " By the authority of this House,
and to preserve the honor and dignity of the State of Maryland,
and to bring this disorderly body to order," was the reply. The
objector refusing to recognize the authority and to take his seat,
the Speaker at once placed him under arrest, and ordered him into
the custody of the Sergeant-at-arms. Finally, his friends persuaded

192 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

him to make an apology to the Speaker. On his being brought to
the Bar of the House, and the apology having been made, the House
passed an order that he should be publicly reprimanded by the
Speaker, upon which he remarked : " I deserve it." The Speaker
instantly said : " The gentleman has pronounced his own repri-
mand," and ordered his discharge. Thus ending a scene, which, but
for the presence of mind and firmness displayed by the presiding
officer, might have had the most unfortunate consequences.

We have spoken of this as an incident almost without parallel in
parliamentary history ; but there is one instance on record which
curiously resembles it. In the year 1675, when Sir Edward Sey-
mour was Speaker of the House of Commons, in a division in
Committee of the Whole a fierce dispute arose. Swords were drawn
and bloodshed seemed imminent, when, as the record states, " the
Speaker very opportunely and prudently rising from his seat, near
the bar, in a resolute and slow pace made his three respects through
the crowd and took the chair. The mace having been forcibly laid
upon the table, all the disorder ceased, and the gentlemen present
took their places. The Speaker, having sat, spoke to this purpose,
that ' to bring the House into order again, he had taken the chair,
though not according to order.' Some gentlemen excepted against
his coming into the chair ; but the doing it was generally approved
as the only expedient to suppress the disorder."

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, then considered
one of the ablest presiding officers in the country, wrote to Speaker
Berry to compliment him on the presence of mind and energy he
had displayed.

In 1861, Mr. Berry was elected a member of the Legislature then
assembled in extra session, as also to the next regular session
beginning in the following year, on which occasion he was again
chosen Speaker of the House, over a number of distinguished com-
petitors. The House, indeed, was notable this session for the num-
ber of men eminent for their talents or public services, which it
reckoned among its members, comprising such names as Beverdy
Johnson, John A. J. Creswell, Benjamin G. Harris, Judge Ma-
gruder, Thomas S. Alexander, Thomas Donaldson, and others.
Political feeling still ran high in the State, and, of course, was
concentrated in the Legislature, making the position of Speaker,
as before, one of great difficulty.

In 1862 he was appointed by Governor Bradford, Adjutant
General of the State, to the duties of which post he devoted him-
self assiduously, to the neglect of his private business.

JOHN St'MJIEEFIELD BEEET. 193

At the earnest request of Governor Swarm, who succeeded Gover-
nor Bradford, General Berry retained the office, and devoted much
time and attention to carrying out all the requirements of the
law creating the Maryland National Guard. Some months after
Governor Bowie's entrance into office, General Berry resigned his
position, and the Governor in accepting his resignation, compli-
mented him highly on the efficiency and fidelity which he had
displayed during his long term of service.

In 1864 General Berry was elected a member of the Convention
called to frame a new Constitution for the State : in which, though
himself a slaveholder, he advocated, on practical grounds, the inser-
tion of the article abolishing slavery. General Berry has been three
times elected as Grand Master of the Masonic Order in the State of
Maryland.

Since his resignation of the office of Adjutant General, General
Berry, though often solicited to re-enter public life, has steadily
refused to do so, but has devoted his time to his private affairs, and
to the advancement of various benevolent and religious objects ;
and has taken a prominent part in the furtherance of many noble
charities, giving liberally of his own means, and inducing others to
follow his example. In the unostentatious though useful life he is
now leading, he is perhaps accomplishing as much good for his
fellow citizens, as when serving them in public capacities.

ALEXANDER BROWN & SONS.

The establishment in the city of Baltimore, while it was jet in
its infancy, of a commercial house, which, from small beginnings,
gradually grew and prospered, and, in the course of time, sent out
into the great capitals of this country and England, vigorous off-
shoots, which, in their turn, grew and prospered, until they have
come to be known and recognized everv where as anion o- the leading
firms of the world, distinguished as much for honor and integrity
as for wealth and enterprise, is an event which deserves to be com-
memorated, not only for its important influence on the trade of
Baltimore, but for its extensive connection with both English and
American commerce.

Such was the work accomplished by the late Alexander Brown,
the founder of the house of Alexander Brown & Sons, who was born
in the north of Ireland, in 17»31, of that hardy Xorth Irish stock
which is so numerously and honorably represented in the United
States by men who have achieved distinction in business, in the
learned professions, and in political life. Mr. Brown married at
Ballymena, Ireland, where all his children were born, and where he
was engaged in business. In the year 1800, leaving his younger
children, George, John A. and James to be educated in England, he
came with his wife and his eldest son, William, to Baltimore, having
been induced to take this step by his brother, Stewart Brown, who
had previously established himself in business in Baltimore, and by
his friend and brother-in-law, Dr. George Brown, who had married
a sister of his wife, and who, without being related to him by
blood, bore the same surname, and had settled in Baltimore in
the year 1783.

Mr. Brown brought with him a small capital, and immediately
engaged in the business of importing and selling Irish linens, at that
time, before the great development of the growth and manufacture
of cotton, an important branch of commerce, but with this was
gradually combined a shipping and other business.

In the year 1810, the eldest son, William, went to Liverpool, and

196 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

there established with his brother James, the firm of William &
James Brown & Company, which subsequently became Brown,
Shipley & Co., a branch of which has since been established in Lon-
don. It may be here stated that William Brown died in Liverpool
in 1864, possessed of great wealth, after having for many years rep-
resented the county of Lancashire in the British Parliament, and
having been created a Baronet in 1862.

This honor was tendered in a manner which was the more grati-
fying as it was wholly unexpected. Lord Palmerston writing to
him, on the 13th of November, 1862, by authority of the Queen,
stated that the Dignity was offered to him in consideration of his
eminent commercial position and his generous conduct toward the
people of Liverpool with respect to the munificent gift which he
had made to them.

This gift consisted in the endowment of a Free Public Library
and the erection of a noble building for its accommodation.

In the year 1811, the firm of Alexander Brown & Sons was
formed in the city of Baltimore, and still continues to exist, being
now composed of George S. Brown and William H. Graham, son
and son-in-law of George Brown.

In 1818, John A. Brown established a branch of the house in
Philadelphia, under the name of John A. Brown & Co., and, in
1825, James Brown settled in New York, and established the
firm of Brown Brothers & Co. George Brown continued to reside
in Baltimore with his father, to whom he was always a devoted
son, as well as most efficient partner. John A. Brown retired in
1839, and the business is now carried on in Philadelphia, as well
as in New York, under the firm of Brown Brothers & Co.

While Mr. Alexander Brown lived, Baltimore continued to be the
headquarters of all the houses, and several times a year, and on
every important occasion, it was the custom of all the brothers in
this country to meet together to take counsel with their father and
each other. The early education of Mr. Brown had been defective,
but he was a man of great vigor both of mind and body, quick in
perceiving and deciding, and rapid in executing, of strong will, of
sound judgment, inflexible honesty, and untiring industry. In cases
of doubt and difficulty, his potential voice generally decided the
question, and rarely, if ever, has a family, consisting of father and
four sons, worked together for so long a time and with such admira-
ble harmony and efficiency, or better illustrated the familiar maxim
that in anion, and especially in family union, there is strength. The
business, after the death of Alexander Brown, gradually became

ALEXANDER BROWN & SONS. 197

exclusively that of exchange and banking, and with the different
branches in Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York, Liverpool, and
London, with their large capital and still larger credit, the success
which has attended it is in proportion to the great advantages
enjoyed.

But devoted as Mr. Brown was to business, he was not wholly
absorbed by it. He and his son George had the sagacity to perceive
the vast advantages which were destined to result from the con-
struction of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad ; and, from the very
beginning, were among its most efficient and zealous friends and
promoters, not only aiding it liberally with their means, but de-
voting to its business and to the various experiments made for its
benefit, much personal care and attention. The first meeting of
those who projected the enterprise was held in the parlor of Mr.
George Brown.

Mr. Alexander Brown died in the year 1834, of pneumonia, which
he contracted at a meeting of merchants, over which he presided,
held on a cold day in winter, at the Exchange, on the occasion of a
panic which then prevailed, growing out of the failure of the Bank
of Maryland. With reference to that panic, Mr. Brown is known
to have declared, with his characteristic decision and energy, that
no merchant in Baltimore who could show that he was solvent,
should be permitted to fail.

George Brown, the second son of Alexander, was born at Bally-
mena, in. 1787, and came to America when he was fifteen years of
age. As a business man he wras distinguished by caution and pru-
dence rather than enterprise, by sterling integrity, by quickness of
perception and indefatigable application. When, in 1827, the Me-
chanics Bank was reduced almost to insolvency by bad manage-
ment, he consented to become its president, and in a short time
raised it to a state of great prosperity ; and it is a fact worthy of
notice that a long time afterwards his son, George S., successfully
presided over the same institution, having been called to the man-
agement in consequence of a serious disaster which it had sustained.
Afterwards, George Brown became the principal founder of the
Merchants Bank, of which he was for some time the president.

He was characterized by deep domestic affections, by warm re-
ligious feeling, and sincere benevolence. The House of Refuge
for juvenile offenders was a special object of his care, and the monu-
ment to his memory which has since his death been there erected
by the liberality of the late Benjamin Deford, worthily attests his
generosity and valuable services to that Institution. He was the
14

198 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

first president of the excellent charity known as the Baltimore
Association for the Improvement of the Condition of the Poor.

Although his modesty and retiring disposition always made him
shrink from public view, he was not deficient in public spirit, and
at the age of forty-nine, when he was a merchant of the highest
standing, very largely engaged in business, he faithfully served, first
as a private soldier and afterwards as first lieutenant, in a volunteer
cavalry company which was raised after the great riot of 1835, by
a number of our best citizens, with the laudable object of preserving
the peace of the city. He was one of the original trustees of the
Peabody Institute, and took a warm interest in its affairs as long as
he lived.

On his decease, in 1859, he was possessed, it is believed, of the
largest fortune which had ever been left by an individual in Mary-
land ; but, true to a principle which had actuated him during life,
that his charities should be distributed as unostentatiously as possi-
ble, he made no provision for them by will, except by making his
widow the 'almoner of his bounty ; and we may be permitted here
to say, what is known to many, that well and faithfully has she
executed the responsible and difficult trust. The beautiful Presby-
terian Church, on Park avenue, known as the Brown Memorial
Church, which she has recently erected, attests not only her devo-
tion to his memory, but his fervent attachment to the faith in which
he had been educated, in which he lived, and in humble reliance on
which he died.

GEORGE WILLIAM BROWN.

George William Brown traces his ancestry, on the paternal side,
from a family long settled in Ireland. His grandfather, Dr. George
Brown, the founder of the family in America, was educated at the
University of Glasgow and graduated in medicine at that of Edin-
burgh. In 1783, he came to this country with his family, and
established himself as a practising physician in Baltimore, where, at
the time a severe epidemic was raging. The success of his treat-
ment soon gave him a high professional reputation, and his other
estimable qualities secured him a distinguished place in society. His
name is mentioned in Griffith's Annals as having, in conjunction
with six other physicians, established a Baltimore Medical Society.
The deficiency of anatomical material, and the intense popular
odium which attached to dissections, prevented this association from
developing into a Medical School.

His eldest son, George John Brown, born in 1787, embarked in
business pursuits, and became a partner in the firm of Brown and
Hollins. He married in 1810, Esther Allison, the daughter of the
Bev. Dr. Patrick Allison, first pastor of the First Presbyterian
Church, a gentleman distinguished for his zeal and abilities in the
discharge of his calling, and also for his vigorous polemical and
political writings. In particular, he engaged in an ardent, though
courteous controversy with Bishop Carroll, on the occasion of the
assumption by the latter of the title " John, Bishop of Baltimore. "
Though antagonists in theology, these reverend gentlemen were
cordially united on the subject of education ; and we read in the
Annals of the city, that a classical academy for the youth of Balti-
more was established in 1786, under the patronage of the Rev.
Drs. Carroll, West and Allison. They also united in an effort to
build up and endow St. John's College, Annapolis ; and in 1795,
we find their names, as wrell as Dr. Brown's, at the head of the
list of founders of the Library Company of Baltimore, the first
circulating library in the city.

George William Brown was born in Baltimore, on October 13th,

200 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

1812, being the eldest son of George John and Esther Brown. He
received his early education in this city, and when nearly sixteen
entered the sophomore class of Dartmouth College, New Hampshire.
The death of his father, who left his family in straitened circum-
stances owing to misfortunes in business, led to his return home
before he had completed his first year at college, and but for the
liberality of his uncle by marriage, Mr. John A. Brown of Philadel-
phia, he would not have been able to complete his collegiate course,
which he did at Rutgers College, New Jersey, graduating at the
head of his class, in 1831.

Returning home, he began the study of the law, in the office of
Mr. (afterwards Judge) John Purviance, and at the end of two
years was admitted to the bar.

In 1839, he entered into partnership with Mr. Frederick W.
Brune, his former schoolmate and most intimate friend, under the
firm of Brown & Brune, and soon afterwards married the young-
est sister of his partner. This firm, subsequently enlarged by the
admission of Mr. Stewart Brown and Mr. Brown's eldest son Mr.
Arthur Geo. Brown, is still in existence under the same name.

The first instance in which Mr. Brown took any prominent part in
public aifairs, was on the occasion of the Bank of Maryland Riot
of 1835, a sketch of which is given in another part of this volume.
The ineffectual attempts made by the civic authorities to suppress
the riot, only had the effect of emboldening the mob, and a hesitat-
ing recourse to fire-arms, resulting in the death of several of the
rioters, enraged instead of intimidating them. Great apprehensions
were felt in the city, various houses were sacked and countless
rumors were afloat of terrible vengeance to be wreaked by the mob.
At this crisis, three persons, of whom Mr. Brown was one, (the others
being Mr. "Wm. G. Harrison and Mr. Geo. H. Brice,) by active per-
sonal application, assembled a number of law-abiding citizens at the
Exchange. Upon meeting, it was evident that the first thing to be
done was to obtain a judicious and courageous leader; and it was
resolved to send at once for General Samuel Smith, then at his
country seat, two miles from the city. The revolutionary veteran,
of eighty-three years, came promptly at the summons of duty and
danger, and his presence wrought an instantaneous change in the
state of affairs, lie allowed no time to be wasted in framing resolu-
tions or making speeches; but in a few energetic words insisted that
an armed force should be at once organized and the riot put down
with a strong hand. His plan was immediately adopted ; he took
his seat in a carriage from which the United States flag was dis-

GEORGE WILLIAM BROWX. 201

played, and proceeded at once to Howard's Park, near the monu-
ment, the meeting following him, marching in column. Here they
were joined by multitudes of citizens ; the whole mass was organized
into companies who chose their own leaders, and speedily were
furnished with arms. For many nights these armed volunteers
patrolled the city ; but the mob vanished from existence as soon as
a competent force, with a courageous leader, was prepared to try
conclusions with it.

In the winter of 1842, a number of persons assembled in An-
napolis in what they called a " Slaveholders' Convention," and
adopted a series of resolutions urging upon the Legislature of the
State certain radical changes in its policj^ with regard to the neoro
population. These proposed measures were of a harsh and oppres-
sive character; discouraging manumissions, and laying such burdens
upon the free blacks as would have compelled them to leave the
State. As these proceedings elicited no outspoken opposition, and
there seemed a probability that the Legislature would act upon the
suggestions of a body which in no sense represented the people of
the State, Mr. Brown, through the public press, entered an earnest
protest against such a course, on grounds of both expediency and
justice. He showed that the true policy of the State had ever been
to encourage manumissions : and that the rigorous measures urged
against the free blacks were as impolitic as they were oppressive.

The first of the series of articles concluded as follows : "I shall
hereafter endeavor to show that the policy of the State has been,
and that its true policy still is, to encourage manumissions ; that
it has not ceased to look forward to the da}'- when, by the volun-
tary acts of its own citizens, it would be emphatically and without
exception, a free State, and that the harsh measures now proposed
against the people of color who are already free, are as inconsistent
with the real welfare of this commonwealth, as they are at variance
with the feelings of humanity."

These papers excited much attention, and elicited from various
quarters expressions of approbation. Public meetings were held
and a committee of influential citizens was appointed to wait on
the Legislature, which, perceiving the sentiment of the community,
dropped the obnoxious propositions.

In the earlier years of Mr. Brown's legal career, there was no
public law library, and young lawyers found themselves compelled
to provide themselves with books at heavy expense, or be subject to
great inconvenience in their practice. Perceiving the serious detri-
ment to the profession thus occasioned, Mr. Brown and Mr. fm. A.

202 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

Talbott commenced a movement, which resulted in the foundation
of the present excellent Baltimore Bar Library, an institution which
is now an indispensable necessity to both the Bench and Bar ; and
of which Mr. Brown is, and has long been, President.

In March, 1853, Mr. Brown was invited to give a lecture before
the Maryland Institute, and selected as his theme " Lawlessness, the
Evil of the Bay." This was the first occasion on which he came
conspicuously forward as the advocate of certain much needed
reforms in the municipal government, and was perhaps the first step
toward the Reform movement which some years later assumed a
definite shape, and finally obtained a complete triumph in 1860.

In the peaceful and orderly administration to which we are at
present accustomed, we almost forget the greatness of the change
wrought in the last twelve or fifteen 3Tears, and can scarcely realize
the state of affairs at the time when Baltimore bore the opprobrious
name of " mob-town," and when outrages which now would shock
the whole community, were of nearly daily occurrence, and regarded
almost as matters of course. In the address referred to, the magni-
tude and danger of the growing evil were forcibly presented —
indeed too forcibly, in the opinion of some. The only paper which
published the address at length, adverted to it in a very favorable
editorial, in which, after doing justice to the earnestness and motives
of the speaker, and admitting the formidable character of the evil
he denounced, still thought it prudent to disavow entire concurrence
in his views. And yet the remedial measures he proposed contained
nothing more revolutionary than the recommendations that the
constables and watchmen of the old system should be replaced by
a uniformed metropolitan police ; that the turbulent volunteer fire
companies should give way to a paid fire department ; that juvenile
offenders should be sent to the House of Refuge ; that ruffians and
thieves, when caught, should not be released on " straw bail," but
should be tried and receive sentences bearing some proportion to
the magnitude of their offences ; and that when finally sentenced,
the annulling of the sentence by a pardon should be the exception
rather than the rule.

We have lived to see most of these reforms adopted, and to
look upon them as the merest essentials of good order ; and can now
scarcely understand how their recommendation could be looked
upon as an almost revolutionary proceeding, to which prudent
citizens could only concede a hesitating and qualified approval.

In 1858 a conviction that some movement to secure the peace and
restore the reputation of the city was necessary, had become general,

GEORGE WILLIAM BR OWN. 203

and several prominent citizens, among whom Mr. Brown was one of
the most active, united to form a " Reform Association," the object
of.which was by regular meetings and appeals through the press, to
organize the friends of law and order into a body sufficiently influ-
ential and powerful to secure quiet and fairness at the polls, which
at that time, were the scenes of the most disgraceful fraud, violence
and disorder. In addition to the ordinary acts of riot and intimi-
dation, unfortunate wretches were frequently seized and " cooped "
in vile dens, stupified with whiskey, and then carried round in
omnibuses and " voted " in ward after ward, the police offering no
opposition, and judges of election receiving the votes. Fire-arms
were openly displayed and sometimes used, resulting in at least one
murder. A singular, but effective means of annoyance and intimi-
dation, was brought into play by the use of small awls, which
ruffians, in a dense crowd, thrust into the persons of their adver-
saries in a manner which easil}' escaped detection.

At the October election of 1858, an effort was made in the Tenth
"Ward, whore Mr. Brown resided, to elect a conspicuous politician of
the then predominant party, and a strong opposition was made by
the Reformers. The awls and other modes of annoyance soon drove
the challenger of the Reform party from the polls, and kept back
their voters. In this emergency Mr. Brown took the place of the
challenger and held it for hours, in spite of insults, threats, and even
personal violence, and it was mainly through his efforts that the
election resulted, very unexpectedly, in the success of the Reform
candidate. This, however, was but a temporary check, and the
violence and outrage which then prevailed, culminated in the scenes
of the ensuing November elections, which were afterwards the sub-
ject of an investigation by Congress.

This election, indeed, was the proximate cause of the great
reformation which subsequently took place. The Reformers, with
resolution unshaken by difficulties, prepared a law, taking the
appointment and control of the police from the municipal authori-
ties, and providing safeguards for the purity and freedom of elections.
This law met with violent opposition, but was passed by the Legis-
lature and sustained by the Court of Appeals. Its salutary action
at once removed the evils from which the city had so long suffered.

At the next following election Mr. Brown was brought forward
by the Reform party as their candidate for the office of Mayor.
The choice was sustained by the almost unanimous approval of the
press ; and in an election, fair and orderly beyond precedent, he
received a majority of about two to one. He entered upon office

204 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

November 12th, 1860, at a peculiarly critical period, when the whole
country was agitated by the election of Mr. Lincoln. During the
excitement which accompanied the outbreak of the war, he exerted
himself to the utmost to preserve the peace and order of the city.

When it was known that Federal troops would be sent through
the city, the Board of Police requested that their arrival might be
notified in advance by telegraph, so that a sufficient police escort
might be provided, as it was feared the excited temper of the
citizens might lead to some outbreak : but this precaution was
neglected or omitted by the Federal authorities in the case of the
Massachusetts troops, who reached the city on the 19th of April,
1861. About half an hour only before their arrival at the Philadel-
phia Station, instructions were received to have a police force in
readiness at the Washington Station, as the troops were not to
march through the city, but to pass through in the cars. The first
cars indeed passed through in safety, but some of the cars which
followed were checked b}^ obstructions on the track, and the soldiers
undertook to march to the latter station. The streets were lined by
an angry, though unarmed crowd, who commenced to assail the
troops with stones, which the latter returned with volleys of mus-
ketry. The Mayor had left the Washington Station, supposing that
all the troops had passed in safety, when information was brought
to him of the collision, and he at once hastened to the spot, ordering
the Marshal to follow with a body of police. He met the troops
rapidly marching, followed by the crowd, and placing himself at
their head, marched with them for some distance, but his presence
did not avail either to protect them from attack, or the citizens
from their indiscriminate fire. Soon, however, the Marshal, George
P. Kane, at the head of about fifty men, came rapidly up, passed
to the rear of the troops, and forming a line across the street,
with pistols presented, checked the advance of the crowd, and the
troops without further molestation reached the station, where a
train was awaiting them. By this means much bloodshed was
happily prevented.

The excitement which this collision produced was very great.
Several persons had been killed on each side, and a number more
wounded. The citizens feared that the attempt to bring more
troops through the city, as was known to be the intention of
the Federal authorities, would lead to consequences still more
deplorable. The city authorities telegraphed to Washington, but
received no reply. As a temporary precaution, the Mayor and
Police Commissioners, with the approbation of Governor Hicks,

GEORGE WILLIAM BROWN. 205

who was then in Baltimore, caused certain bridges on the Northern
Central and Philadelphia railroads to be disabled, and this was
done just in time to prevent a body of unarmed Pennsylvania troops
from entering the city. On the following Sunday, the 21st, the
Mayor received a telegram from President Lincoln, requesting an
interview, and he proceeded at once to Washington, accompanied
by several prominent citizens. The President recognized the good
faith in which the authorities had acted, and gave an assurance that
no more troops should be sent through Baltimore, while other lines
of transportation were open, and at his request, Gen. Scott, the
commander in chief, ordered some Pennsylvania troops who had
approached the city, to be sent round it.

We need not detail at length the events which followed. The
excitement soon subsided to a great extent, and large bodies of
troops passed constantly through the city without molestation.
Military possession was taken of the city, and military rule estab-
lished. The Marshal of Police was arrested and imprisoned, and the
police disbanded. The Commissioners of Police were also arrested
and placed in confinement.

The Mayor, however, continued to discharge his duties, except
those pertaining to the police, unmolested, until the night of the
12th of September, when he was arrested at his house and taken as
a prisoner to Fort McHenry, whence he was successively removed to
Fortress Monroe, Fort Lafayette, and Fort Warren. The officer
who made the arrest said that he had no warrant, but acted by the
authority of the United States. The leading members of the Legis-
lature of the State were arrested at the same time. While in con-
finement various offers were made to Mr. Brown on the part of the
Government, to release him ; but all clogged with conditions which
he could not accept with honor. Finally, when his term of office
had expired, and another Mayor had been elected, Mr. Brown, was
with the other political prisoners from Maryland, then remaining,
released unconditionally on November 27th, 1862, after an imprison-
ment of more than fourteen months, when be returned to Baltimore
and resumed the practice of his profession.

In 1867, a new constitution was deemed necessary for the State, to
replace that which had been adopted in 1865, and Mr. Brown was
elected a member of the Constitutional Convention. This is the
last public position he has occupied, he having declined in the same
year a renomination to the Mayoralty.

In the foregoing sketch, Mr. Brown's connection with public
matters has been chiefly considered, but it constitutes only a small

206 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

episode in his life, which, since his manhood has been mainly devoted
to the studies and labors of his arduous profession, and the reports
of the Court of Appeals of Maryland, as well as of the Supreme
Court of the United States, attest his ability as a lawyer. The case
of Brown vs. McGran, in the latter Court, which he successfully
argued in 1840, at the age of twenty-seven, reversing the judgment
of the Circuit Court of South Carolina, has become a leading case
in reference to the power and duties of commission merchants. .

"While his time has been so largely occupied by the engagements
of his profession, he has yet found leisure to take an active part in
the management of various benevolent and literary institutions,
including the Peabody Institute, of which he has been a Trustee
from its commencement.

^JLctc^/fo

/ifoisiSK^

F. W. BRUNE & SONS.

Two of the leading merchants, in the City of Baltimore, in their
day, were Frederick ¥m. Brune and John C. Brune, father and
son, former members of the present commercial house of F. "W. Brune
& Sons, which, in regular succession, has descended from the firm of
Von Kapff & Auspach, founded in Baltimore in 1795. The senior
partner of that firm, Bernard J. Yon KapfT, was a native of Bremen,
and in 1799, was in Europe on a visit when his junior partner, Mr.
Anspach, died. Mr. Brune, senior, who was horn in Bremen in
1776, and had there received his mercantile education in the count-
ing house of Mr. Yon Kapff 's brother, had in the year 1799 arrived
in Xew York, with the intention of joining his brother in business
in that city, but Mr. Anspach having died, and Mr. Yon Kapff
having no authorized attorney in this country, such was the con-
fidence placed in Mr. Brune, by the friends of the firm of Yon
Kapff & Anspach, that he was invited to come from New York to
take charge of its business in Baltimore, under the guarantee of
Messrs. Smith & Buchanan, Valck & Co. and Focke & Co., three of
the first houses in the city, that the transactions of Mr. Brune
would be confirmed by Mr. Yon Kapff. On the return of Mr. Yon
Kapff, he entered into partnership with Mr. Brune, under the firm
of Yon KapfT & Brune, which continued until about the year 1828,
when Mr. Yon Kapff died. AYhile it existed, it was successfully
and most honorably engaged in a varied commerce with almost all
parts of the world.

The firm, soon after its establishment, became ship owners, but
wras at first chiefly occupied in the importation of German linens (of
which Baltimore was then a great entrepot) and in the exportation
of tobacco and colonial produce ; and this business was carried on
until after our war with England, in spite of the difficulties to
American commerce, growing out of the British orders in council,
and the Berlin and Milan decrees of Napoleon, from which this firm
and many other Baltimore merchants were great sufferers.

AVhen the South American States became independent, Yon

208 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

Kapff & Brune embarked actively in the trade, which grew up
with those States, especially on the Pacific coast, and which pro-
duced the fast sailing vessels, known all over the world as
Baltimore clippers.

One of their vessels made a passage of sixty-nine days from
Valparaiso, beating a celebrated clipping schooner of Mr. Isaac
McKim by a day from the same port.

Another vessel, the brig Harriet, having made a very successful
voyage with flour round the Horn, her master ventured, without
instructions, to stop, on his return, at Rio, and invest the proceeds
of the flour in coffee, and this small cargo of Rio coffee, which now
constitutes a chief article in the foreign commerce of Baltimore, was
then so little known and so unsalable that it was sent to Havre and
there sold at a loss about equal to the profit on the flour.

Mr. Brune was not only an accomplished merchant, but he was a
public spirited citizen, and was connected with most of the useful
institutions and enterprises, which were projected during his event-
ful career. He became a director of the United States Bank in
1819, and held this place until the Bank ceased to be a national
institution. He also helped to found those excellent institutions, the
Savings Bank, and the Equitable Fire Insurance Company, and the
German Society of Maryland, and he was largely interested in the
turnpike road companies, which were such important aids in advanc-
ing the early prosperity of the city.

Mr. Brune died in the year 1860, at the age of eighty-four,
universally respected, having seen the city of his adoption grow
from a place of 30,000 inhabitants to a city of more than 200,000.
His firm passed happily through the commercial difficulties of the
years 1799, 1819, 1825, and 1837, and he has been heard to say, that
of these periods, that of 1799 was by far the most disastrous to the
commerce of the city.

Mr. Brune was a peculiarly modest man, but he so blended a
simple dignity and urbanity of manner, with a strong sense of
justice, and uprightness of character, that he secured for a long life
the unvarying esteem of his fellow citizens of all classes.

His second surviving son, John Christian Brune, was born in
1814, and educated at the celebrated Round Hill school, at North-
ampton, Massachusetts, which was then under the charge of Mr.
Cogswell, afterwards of the Astor Library, and Mr. Bancroft, now
American Minister at Berlin. At this school he laid the foundation
of his knowledge of the principal modern languages, which was of
much importance to him in after life. He also acquired a love of

F. W. DRUNE & SONS. 209

reading, and a power of expressing his opinions, clearly and some-
times eloquently.

lie declined to go to college, and entered his father's counting
room at an early age, where his energy and intelligence soon became
so conspicuous that a neighbor of his father offered him, at the age
of eighteen, the post of supercargo of a ship bound round Cape
Horn. He sailed in the vessel, but she was crippled in a storm, and
the voyage was broken up The same merchant, however, immedi-
ately afterward sent him as supercargo to Rio, where, at that early
age, he formed friendships which lasted for many years. At the
age of twenty-one he became a partner with his father, and soon
extended the business of the firm by active operations with old
correspondents in South America and the West Indies, and by
forming personally new connections with those regions. In a few
years his house became a leading one in the trade with these
countries, and his large acquaintance with the sugar business in-
duced him, in the year 1852, with the aid of other merchants and
capitalists, to found the Maryland Sugar Refinery, which, with
the other refineries in the city, has very considerably enlarged
its commerce. Mr. Brune was elected the first President of this
refinery ; and his firm, which is still carried on by his brother and
surviving partner, William H. Brune, have always been its agents.

Mr. Brune's talent, high sense of honor and public spirit, as a
merchant, and his popular manners, generosity and warmth of
heart, as a man, gave him a large influence among his fellow
citizens, and he had much to do in reviving and establishing on a
firm basis the Board of Trade, which now so honorably represents
the commercial interests of the city. He was elected its first
President in 1849, under the new organization, and was constantly
re-elected until the }Tear 1862.

He was also in 1857 elected President of the Baltimore Association
for the Improvement of the Condition of the Poor, in which he took
the deepest interest, and he gave to its operations a life which is still
felt. He was twice re-elected to this honorable office during his
absence from the country ; but, in 1863, declined a re-election.
Mr. Brune also took a lively interest in public affairs, and he was
for many years a very influential member of the old Whig party ;
he subsequently allied himself with the Democratic party, and
became an ardent supporter of the doctrine of State Rights, and
his sentiments on this subject, together with his good sense, com-
mercial knowledge, winning manners and generous hospitality,

210 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

secured for liim an intimacy with many of the most distinguished
politicians of his own State and the South.

It was therefore natural that such a man should be called upon,
with others of our best citizens to represent the city of Baltimore in
the House of Delegates of the Legislature, which was called to meet
in Frederick, in May, 1861, and Mr. Brune, who had previously
declined all offers of public station of a political kind, thought it his
duty to sacrifice his private interests to serve his city and State at
that anxious and perilous period.

He was appointed Chairman of the Committee of Ways and
Means, and the proceedings of that Assembly show that Mr. Brune
co-operated heartily with the majority of that body in the course
pursued in reference to the momentous questions then before the
State and the nation.

Mr. Brune was the only member from Baltimore, who, by
accident, escaped the arrest under the coup d'etat of the 12th of
September, 1861, by which a large number of the members of the
General Assembly were incarcerated for upwards of a year.

After the arrest of his fellow members, Mr. Brune remained con-
cealed in the neighborhood of the city for some time, until he found
that they were to be kept in prison without charge or trial ;
upon this he went to Canada, and although he was notified, that
the order for his arrest had been withdrawn, he resolved not to
return to his native city, so long as his associates continued in
prison and the city was under military control.

He therefore lived self-banished from his home, which he loved
so well, passing the summer in Canada, and the winter in the \Vest
Indies, until the 7th of December, 1864, when, upon a voyage in the
steamer from Southampton to Havana, his valuable life was sud-
denly terminated by disease of the heart resulting in brain fever.

Mr. Brune's example as a merchant did much to elevate the pro-
fession to which it was his pride to belong, and his energy and earn-
estness have left an impress for good which will extend much bej-ond
the large circle of his attached friends, and into another generation.

$to%Ar&i.f?**Jl

£k

^^U^

JAMES M. BUCHANAN.

In Druid Hill Park, within the enclosure of the family burial-
ground reserved in the sale of the estate to the city, repose, the
American ancestors of the subject of this sketch, themselves of
Scotch descent, of Lenny. The visitor who turns aside from the
main road, and looks over the rude fence which separates the con-
secrated soil of the dead of a hundred and twenty years, from the
grand and beautiful grounds, now devoted to the pleasures of the
living, will, by close scrutiny, be enabled to trace upon a broken
tomb, moss-covered, weather-beaten, hoary with age, the name of
Doctor George Buchanan,* buried here in 1750, and who, as the
record on the decaying marble reads, " was one of the founders of
Baltimore." This was the grandfather of James M. Buchanan.
Next the tomb of Doctor George Buchanan, may be seen another
tomb, in ruins, that of Andrew Buchanan, his son, bearing the
following inscription : " In memory of Andrew Buchanan, who
departed this life on the 12th of March, 1785, in the 53d year of
his age. He was, during the contest that secured the independence
of America, Lieutenant of this county, and served with great re-

* In a book entitled Mnemonika, or the Tablet of Memory, prepared by William
Darby, and published by Edward J. Coale, at Baltimore, 1829, under the head of
"Eminent Persons," we find the following : "Buchanan, George, M. D., one of
the founders and first Commissioners engaged in 1729, to settle and purchase
the land of the city of Baltimore, died 1745— [an error, he died 1750.] And in
the same book, under the head of "Baltimore," is the following: "Baltimore
city, of the United States, in Maryland, on a small bay of Patapsco river,
founded 1729, is extremely well situated for commercial connections with the
valley of Ohio ; it commands the trade of Maryland, more than one-half of that
of Pennsylvania, and a part of New York. Having the advantage of climate,
the harbor of Baltimore is not so liable to obstruction from ice as that of Phila-
delphia. The site of the city was a farm belonging to the father of Charles
Carroll of Carrollton, now living, and purchased by Doctor George Buchanan
and others. William Buchanan, his son, died about three years since, (1828.)"

See also Griffith's Annals of Baltimore, p. 15.

Doctor George Buchanan was a prominent member of the General Assembly
of the Colony of Maryland, and Deputy Commissary General of Baltimore county
for many years.

212 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

pute for many years as Chief Judge of the Court. He was au
affectionate husband, a tender parent, an honest man ; in short,
endowed with every virtue that could complete an exalted charac-
ter." It may here be remarked that James M. Buchanan, his
nephew, more than half a century after, presided as Judge in the
same county.

William Buchanan, the youngest son of Doctor George Bu-
chanan, and father of James M. Buchanan, is buried near Govans-
town, at his former country seat, now owned by David M. Perine,
half-brother of James M. Buchanan. William Buchanan* was one
of the Committee of Correspondence, elected from among the free-
holders of Baltimore County and Town, to correspond, prior to and
in the days of the Revolution, with neighboring colonies, as the
exigencies of affairs might require. Under the State Constitution
of 1776 he was appointed Register of Wills for Baltimore county,
and served in that capacity, with great satisfaction to the public,
for forty-five years.

James M. Buchanan, his eldest surviving son, was born at the
country place, near Govanstown, where his father is buried. Much
of his early youth was spent in this neighborhood, lie was chiefly
educated at the Baltimore College and St. Mary's, in Baltimore.
Having determined on the profession of law, he began his studies
in the office of Hugh Davey Evans, and closed them under the
preceptorship of Judge Walter Dorsey. After his admission to the
bar, he offered himself in Baltimore county, as a candidate for the
State Legislature, and was elected a member of that body when
he had but barely reached legal age. He took his seat, a mere
youth, amid learned and venerable men, with inexperience, but not
without promise and ability, as his subsequent re-election to the
succeeding term gave sufficient proof. After serving with credit
to himself and usefulness to the State, two terms, in the Legisla-
ture, he betook himself earnestly to his profession, and was soon
favored with a lucrative practice. By assiduity and attention to
business he increased his practice, and at one time had the largest
at the county bar.

In 1824, he was the Secretary of a meeting, which was the first
in Maryland to hoist the name of Andrew Jackson for the Presi-
dency.

* It is proper to mention that William Buchanan, son of Doctor George, and
father of J. M. Buchanan, was a native of Maryland. There was another William
Buchanan also on the Committee of Correspondence, active and conspicuous in
affairs dining the Revolution, who was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and
emigrated to Baltimore with John, the father of General Samuel Smith.

JAMES M. BUCHANAN. 213

In 1835, he was commissioned aid-de-camp to the Brigadier
General of the City Guards, by Brigade Order, Number 3, which
reads as follows (from the copy of the same before us) :

Headquarters, City Guards,

Baltimore, December 16, 1835.

Brigade Order, No. 3.

Ordered that James M. Buchanan and Cornelius McLean be and
they are hereby appointed Aids-de-Camp to the Brigadier General
of the City Guards, and they will be obeyed accordingly.

By order of

GENERAL SAMUEL SMITH.
Vm. Pinkney,

Brigade Major and Inspector City Guards.

In General Harrison's campaign for the Presidency, he was nomi-
nated elector on the part of the State, but declined for political
reasons, entertaining, however, a high personal esteem, respect and
attachment for the veteran hero and patriot.

In 1841, Mr. Buchanan was nominated for Congress by an almost
unanimous vote, at a convention held at Ellicott's Mills, which
convention was composed of delegates from the city of Baltimore,
and from Anne Arundel county. This nomination was considered
as tantamount to an election, but was declined, because of his pro-
fessional and private engagements.

Under the administration of President Polk he was appointed
postmaster of the city of Baltimore, and conducted the affairs of
that office ably and to the satisfaction of the Government and
public. He remained in this office for upwards of four years,
practising his profession at the same time.

Mr. Buchanan was a member of the State Constitutional Conven-
tion of 1851. This convention was composed of many of the ablest
representative men of Maryland, numbering among its members the
names of Louis McLane, Gen. Benjamin C. Howard, Judge Ezekiel
F. Chambers, Albert Constable, Gov. Francis Thomas, William Cost
Johnson, Judge T. B. Dorsey, Gov. William Grason, B. E. Presst-
man, A. R. Sollers, and others of high character and note.

Mr. Buchanan (an accident having befallen General Chapman,
president of the convention, and which threatened to detain him
from its sessions) was elected president pro tern., bearing the grave
responsibilities of the position with a becoming dignity and de-
corum. He served in this convention six months, from the begin-
ning to the completion of its labors, and except during its tem-
porary adjournments, was never absent a single day.
15

214 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

In the early part of 1852, Mr. Buchanan was appointed a com-
missioner (Otho Scott, Esq., of Harford county, being the other)
by the governor of Maryland, under instructions of the General
Assembly, to proceed to Pennsylvania and "to collect all the facts
and circumstances connected with the killing of a fugitive slave,
in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, by Archibald G. Ridgely, of
Baltimore city, and to confer with the governor of Pennsylvania
relative to the same." Great excitement existed in Pennsjdvania
at the time of the killing of this fugitive slave, who met his death
at the hands of an officer of the law, from Maryland, acting, as it
was claimed, in the discharge of his duty, and in nowise feloniously
culpable. But a feeling was abroad that an injustice and crime had
been committed, and that the governor of Pennsylvania ought, con-
sequently, to demand the rendition by the authorities of Maryland,
of the officer, who had escaped over the lines. There was great
danger, therefore, of a breach of the amicable relations existing
between the two States, which was happily prevented by a skillful
adjustment of the difficulty by the commissioners and the gover-
nor and authorities of Pennsylvania. Following upon this, some
short time after, the governor and Legislature of Pennsylvania
extended to the governor, heads of departments and Legislature
of Maryland, an invitation to visit Harrisburg, the capital of the
State, which invitation was accepted. The resolutions expressing
the acknowledgments of the Legislature of Maryland, alter the
visit, is worthy of notice as an illustration of Maryland's appre-
ciation of Pennsylvania's hospitality and of the existence and con-
tinuance of that good will between the States, which, but a little
while before had been threateningly endangered. These resolutions,
passed April 23d, 1853, are as follows: —

Resolved by the General Assembly, That the Senate and House of
Delegates entertain a grateful sense of the courtesy and hospitality
extended to them by the Legislature of Pennsylvania on their
recent visit to Harrisburg, and they recognize in the cordial invita-
tion, assiduous kindness, and devoted attention of the authorities,
the fullest disposition on the part of the people of the Common-
wealth of Pennsylvania, to cultivate those relations of mutual
respect and amity, on which neighboring States so largely depend
for their prosperity.

Be it further resolved, That the governor is hereby requested to
communicate this resolution to the governor of Pennsylvania, with
a request that it should be laid before the Legislature of that State,
and to express further to the executive the full appreciation by the

JAMES M. BUCHANAN. 215

people of Maryland, of his patriotism and dignified courtesy, and
their high respect for his personal and official conduct.

In 1855, Mr. Buchanan was appointed judge of the Circuit
Court of the Sixth Circuit of Maryland, embracing Harford, Cecil
and Baltimore counties, to fill the vacancy occasioned by the death
of the Hon. Albert Constable. On entering upon his official career,
his first sad duty, in response to the proceedings of the bar in
Cecil, was to give utterance to the deep grief by which his and
all hearts were bowed down, in the great loss sustained by the
death of the gifted jurist whom he succeeded. The touching
tribute of the living to the departed judge, is at once a truthful
portraiture of the character and worth of both; and what so fitly
was spoken of the one, may well be said of the other, when his
lips, too, shall be sealed and his eyes closed in the long last sleep.
Judge Buchanan, on the solemn occasion referred to, spoke as fol-
lows : — " The court heartily sympathizes with the sentiments and
action of the bar in reference to our beloved departed brother.
In the prime of manhood — in the paths of duty — in the vigor of
intellect and in the fullness of fame, he went down into the valley
and shadow of death. ' And now he sleepeth in the dust, and we
may seek for him in the morning, but he shall not be.'

"l God is all wisdom, all justice, all mere}'. Yes, gentlemen, all
mercy ! Confiding in these, as Christians, let us feel assured that
our brother has but left a world of strife and suffering here, for a
blissful immortality beyond.

" It would be needless, in this presence, to dilate on the varied
accomplishments of the lamented dead. He was your neighbor,
your associate, your friend, your brother. You knew him well.
You were proud of him. You were justly so. We may not look
upon his like again. What a charm in his eloquence ! What a
fire in his eye ! What a dignity in his manner ! What a melody
in his voice ! What a warmth in his heart 1 He was one of na-
ture's orators.

k- What a keen sense of justice! What a steady hand wherewith
to hold the balances thereof. What a total disregard of all merely
worldly distinctions among those who came to seek their rights at
the shrine where he ministered.

" How considerate of suitors ! How kind and gentle towards wit-
nesses ! How respectful to the juries, to the officers of the court,
and to the members of the bar ! He was the very embodiment of
a judge. How companionable in social life; how tender of the
feelings of those with whom he was brought in contact ; how gener-

216 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

ous, how conciliatory, how refined. He was, in very truth, a gen-
tleman.

" Thus we knew him as he lived. How did he die? For months
he lingered in the arms of death. Patiently he bore his sufferings ;
and when, at last, the irrevocable mandate came, surrounded by
those who of all the earth he loved the dearest, at peace with man
and assured of heaven, his immortal spirit winged its final flight
for the bosom of its Father and its God.

'Night dews fall not more lightly on the ground,
Nor weary, worn out winds expire so soft.'

" Let the resolutions be recorded with the proceedings of the
court, and the court stand adjourned until to-morrow morning,
at ten o'clock."

In April, 1856, Mr. Buchanan was elected a member of the Demo-
cratic National Convention which assembled at Cincinnati, and
which convention nominated James Buchanan, of Pennsylvania,
for the Presidency of the United States.

In 1858, Mr. Buchanan was appointed United States Minister to
the kingdom of Denmark. During his residence, with his family,
in the brilliant city of Copenhagen, he lived in a style becom-
ing his representative capacity, making the American embassy an
agreeable centre of attraction. He remained in Europe about eight
years.

Mr. Buchanan is married : has had nine children, six of whom
are living. His family connection, both in and out of Maryland,
is large and influential, and in many prominent instances distin-
guished on the score of personal merit. Admiral Franklin Bu-
chanan, " the hero of Hampton Roads," and grandson of General
Andrew Buchanan, whom we have referred to in this sketch as
buried at Druid Hill, is the second cousin of James M. Buchanan,
as is also Major General Robert C. Buchanan of the United States
Army. He is, by marriage, brother-in-law of the Hon. John
Rowan, Jr., of Kentucky, who was Minister to Naples, in Mr.
Polk's administration, and the son of the venerable John Rowan,
Chief Justice and United States Senator, of Kentucky, in other days.

Mr. Buchanan in person is tall, about six feet one inch in height,
and spare; commanding in appearance, polished and dignified in
manners. Ai^Q, which has whitened his locks, has not bowed his
form; while the genius and spirit of youth and of manhood are
undimmed and unbroken by time's heavy hand. Buoyant and
erect in body and mind, he yet stands at his post amid the con-
tests and duties of life.

S?ZS

FRANCIS BURNS.

Francis Burns is descended from that hardy^ Scotch-Irish stock,
which, from the earliest settlement of the country, has furnished
one of the most valuable and important elements of American
population, to which so many of the most distinguished men of
America are proud to trace their origin, and which in eveiy walk
of life, has produced useful and valuable citizens. Mr. Burns was
born in county Antrim, Ireland, April 11th, 1792. His parents
emigrated to this country in 1798, wheu he was but six years of
age, landing at Philadelphia, in which city his father engaged in
the trade of brick making. Francis Burns began life in the brick
yard at twelve years of age ; but in 1818, being then just turned of
twenty-six, he removed to Baltimore. Here he established himself
in the same line of business, having formed an association with
Mr. George Whitman, which continued for three years. Upon the
termination of his partnership with Mr. Whitman, Mr. Burns con-
cluded to continue business by himself, which he did for a period of
forty years, until his final retirement in 1860. During this long
period, he carried the art of brick making to great perfection,
excelling in the manufacture especially of pressed brick, the finer
qualities of which, used in Baltimore for the fronts of houses of a
superior class, excel in durability, hardness, smoothness and beauty
of finish, and in color, those produced in any other city. The
bright appearance for which the streets and houses of Baltimore are
noted, is largely attributable to the superior quality of this budd-
ing material. Yet when Mr. Burns, after great pains, succeeded in
turning out in 1823, a better article of pressed brick than had been
previously in use, he found so much difficulty in introducing into
general use, that for awhile he was compelled to offer it at the
price of common brick, viz. : $5.50 per thousand. It has since sold
as high as $55.00 per thousand, an increase of one thousand per
cent. ! The pressed brick of Baltimore have since acquired a high
reputation abroad, and are largely exported to other cities. For
many years Mr. Burns controlled the Xew York market in this

218 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

particular, selling more brick of the finer qualities in that city than
any other manufacturer. His brick yards were the most extensive
in or a/ound Baltimore, producing from six to seven millions of
bricks annually. In his own business, Mr. Burns soon established a
character for industry, honesty and fair dealing, that won him the
confidence and esteem of the entire business community. For more
than twenty years he has been a director in the Western Bank,
lie was also a director in the old Baltimore Savings Bank, until the
establishment of the Eutaw Savings Bank, when he resigned in
order to fill the same position in the latter institution, which he yet
holds. He is also a director in the Associated Firemen's Insurance
Company, and since the administration of Mr. William S. Harrison
as president of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company, has
been one of the most useful and efficient directors of that great
work.

Mr. Burns is one of the oldest Masons in the State, having been
" raised" in the year 1816, and having filled for several years the
position of Deputy Grand Master of the Order. During his long life
and residence in this city, he has seen the wonderful changes which
have taken place in the value of property, consequent upon the
city's development and growth in population. When he first came
here, he could have bought, for a song, buildings within a stone's
throw of his dwelling, which are now valuable warehouses. Mr.
Burns has manifested his interest in public affairs, and borne his
part in the discharge of the duties of a citizen, by serving for
several 3'ears in the City Council, in which .body he represented the
old Eleventh Ward. In politics he was always a Whig, but never a
politician. He is a member of the Presbyterian Church, of which
the Rev. Dr. Leyburn is pastor. Mr. Burns was married January
12th, 1819, to Miss Elizabeth Hyland, of Philadelphia. He has
the good fortune to have living five sons, all of whom are success-
fully established in business, besides several daughters well and
happily married. His eldest son, William F. Burns, is engaged in
the brick manufacture, head of the firm of Burns, Russell & Co.
A second son is Samuel Burns, of the firm of Bums & Sloan,
lumber merchants. Two other sons, Francis Burns, Jr., and Find-
ley II. Burns, are members of the large and prosperous commission
house of Wilson, Burns & Co., the senior of which firm, Col.
■William Wilson, Jr., married Mr. Burns's eldest daughter. The
youngest son, George W. Burns, is engaged in the boot and shoe
trade. To have lived to see all the members of his large family thus
comfortably and honorably established in the world, is Mr. Burns's

FRANCIS BURNS. 219

greatest happiness. At his advanced age, seventy-eight, he is neces-
sarily largely withdrawn from the more active pursuits and duties
of life, but his faculties remain clear and bright as ever, and his
character remains a striking illustration of what energy and per-
severance, with probity /will accomplish in life, as well as a fine type
ol the manly and generous qualities of the warm-hearted race from
which he is sprung.

/(£' V-*>&v

JOHN COATES.

The parents of Mr. Coates were both of Scotch descent, but were
themselves born in Belfast, Ireland. They came to this country
about the year 1792, and in 1795 Mr. Francis Coates, his father,
was married in the city of Baltimore to Charlotte Linton.

Mr. and Mrs. Coates were among the early disciples of John
Wesley, and were strongly attached to the principles of the Metho-
dist Church, founded by that great and good man. They were
blessed with a number of children, and on ^he 11th of January,
1800, John Coates was born. He was brought up by his parents in
conformity with the doctrines and practices of Methodism. He
received a good common education, intended to fit him for the
active duties of a commercial or mechanical life. At an early age
he commenced life as a clerk in a respectable dry goods house, and
remained there until, in the vicissitudes of business, his employers
failed and gave up business. By them, the clerk who had secured
their confidence, was strongly recommended to another house in
the same line. After a "brief career this house also went down in
the periodical convulsions that sweep over the commercial circles,
and our young adventurer was again thrown upon the world. Dis-
couraged with the uncertainties of mercantile life, the young man
determined to abandon that field, and try his fortune as a mechanic.
Accordingly he went to his father and told him that he had made
up his mind to be a mechanic and not a merchant. The father
suffered him to choose his own future occupation, and, forthwith,
John sought and found a builder, who immediately on understand-
ing his determination, agreed to take him into his employ. Setting
to work with a hearty good will, the young man soon mastered
his trade, and whilst acting as an apprentice he undertook work on
his own account, and actually put up a number of buildings with
hands employed by himself, and superintended by him at nights,
and at hours when other parties were resting. Having served out
his time with his employers, in 1822, Mr. Coates commenced busi-
ness as a builder on his own account, and for two years pushed

222 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

ahead with marked vigor and judgment. In 1824 the late Judge
John Glenn, of the United States Court, who had been a friend of
Mr. Coates from his boyhood, persuaded him to give up building
and go into the lumber trade, offering to furnish all necessary
capital for the successful prosecution of the business. The generous
offer was accepted, and hence arose the well known firm of Coates
& Glenn. The business was always conducted by Mr. Coates,
though for thirty odd years the name of the firm was continued.
During all the long period of his business career, one remarkable
fact is deserving of record. He never gave a note, or had a dis-
count from bank, though his transactions were at all times large
and varied. Such was the confidence inspired by his admirable tact
and business capacity, that if he wanted money at any time, there
were friends at hand to proffer any needed amount. For about
twenty years uninterrupted success had followed his labors, in which
time he had accumulated a handsome fortune, and greatly enlarged
and extended the lumber trade of the city.

In 1842 a disastrous fire occurred, at a time when there was on
hand a large stock of material, and in a few hours the destroying
element swept out of existence the results of the labors and earn-
ings of many years.

The loss of the firm was very great. Many thought it was
entirely ruined. But on the morning after the fire, Mr. Coates was
found by some of his friends in the midst of the charred and
blackened fragments of his late crowded yard, busily at work
clearing off the debris, and preparing to renew his business. The
value of a good character, was never more strikingly shown than
at this period in the life of Mr. Coates. Eelying upon this, many
friends came forward voluntarily to tender their assistance, and as
much as one hundred thousand dollars was offered him by various
parties to enable him to go on. But, whilst thanking these friends
for their kindly offers, they were all declined, and he set himself
earnestly to work to gather up the fragments left him, and with
renewed zeal to commence his work again. The effort was emi-
nently successful, and in a few brief years, the heavy loss was all
made up, and wealth and ease were again possessed. In all this
extended time, Mr. Coates neither made nor gave a note, or had
discount. We may here remark, that on the night when Mr.
Coates reached his twenty-first year, he applied for admission into
Warren Lodge, ]S"o. 51, of Free and Accepted Masons, was promptly
elected, and for thirty-five years occupied the position of Treasurer
of the Lodge ; having during that time passed through all the subor-

JOHX COATES. 223

dinate degrees, and was elected to the position of Grand Master,
which he held by the unanimous vote of his brethren for the
unusual term of six years. He also served for ten years as director
in the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company ; for six years as
president of the Board of Managers of Baltimore City Jail, and for
the same number of years, a director in the Maryland State Peni-
tentiary. He has been for sixteen years a director in the Western
National Bank, and for an equal time a director in the F.utaw
Savings Bank — both of which places he still occupies. In 1864 he
obtained from the State Legislature a charter for the incorporation
of the Union Fire Insurance Company. Upon the organization of
this company, he was unanimously elected president, which place he
has continuously filled, up to the present time, and, with his usual
zeal and business tact, has made the institution a successful and
prosperous concern. As was said at the commencement of this
sketch, he was brought up a Methodist, and for many years was a
member of the Methodist Episcopal Church; but upon the organiza-
tion of what he regarded as the more liberal government of the
Methodist Protestant Church, he withdrew from the old body, and
united with that. With this body he is still connected, and its
business interests he has had it in his power often to assist and
advance. In all the relations of social and private life, Mr. Coates
has ever sustained the character of a kind and genial man, and
his house has been the home of the ministers and friends of the
church at all times. In the possession of a vigorous constitution,
confirmed and developed by an active temperate life, he presents the
appearance of sound health, with the prospect of living many years
to enjoy his well earned wealth and honors.

ARCHBISHOP CARROLL.

The annals of the Roman Catholic Church have been frequently
graced by men of most exalted merit, but rarely by one of more
fervent piety and gentleness of spirit than Rev. John Carroll, the
lirst bishop and archbishop of his church in the See of Baltimore,
and the earliest in the United States. Born in Upper Marlborough,
Maryland, in 1735, his early piety determined him on devoting his
life to religion, and with this view he was sent abroad and was edu-
cated at the College of St. Omers, in France, and afterward at Liege,
in Belgium ; the American Colonies at that period having no ecclesi-
astical institution for the training of priests. Mr. Carroll was the
cousin of Charles Carroll of Carrollton, and not his brother, as he is
frequently represented. In Liege he was ordained priest. He sur-
rendered to his brother all his own share in his patrimonial estate,
and joined the order of the Jesuits. On the suppression of the
order in France he was chosen to act as their Secretary, in corres-
pondence with the French government regarding the temporal
possessions of the order ; his thorough knowledge of French and
Latin, and the elegance of his written style in both languages, par-
ticularly qualifying him for the position of Secretary.

He took refuge in England, and was chosen by Lord Houston, a
Roman Catholic nobleman, as the tutor of his son, and appointed to
make the tour of Europe with him. While engaged in this situa-
tion he wrote for the instruction of his pupil a concise and excellent
history of England, recalling the example of Fenelon who composed
the adventures of Telemachus for his royal charge, the Duke of
Burgundy. He was a professor at Bruges in 1773, but afterward
returned to England and resided for some years in the family of the
Earl of Arundel. At that period the laws of the realm imposing
disabilities on the Catholics were in full force, as they had been
ever since the overthrow of Kino; James the Second. The Catholics
had no representation in Parliament, and their nobility were denied
their seats in the House of Peers, while the exercise of their religion
could only be conducted in private. Most of the Roman Catholic

226 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

nobility therefore bad their own special chaplains and confessors ;
and Mr. Carroll exercised such functions at Arundel Castle, one of
the ancestral seats of the family of Howard.

On the breaking out of the war with the mother country, Mr.
Carroll, however, resisted all importunities to remain in England,
and with the spirit of a true patriot returned to America. He fixed
his residence in Baltimore, which he never afterward left, except
upon special occasions. In February, 1776, he was appointed by the
Continental Congress, in connection with his cousin, Charles Carroll
of Carrollton, Judge Samuel Chase, and Dr. Benjamin Franklin, to
proceed upon a mission to Canada. Of this journey Charles Carroll
has left a full account. The object of the expedition was to create a
sympathy in Canada with the American cause, and to induce that
province, if possible, to make common issue with the Colonies
against Great Britain. Dr. John Carroll was selected on account of
his very high standing as a Catholic clergyman, in hope that he
could have great influence with those of the same faith in the
Canadas, as they possessed a vast numerical superiority over the
Protestants. The hope, however, was disappointed. The defeat of
Montgomery before Quebec, and the very strong opposition of the
Catholic clergy to the measures of union with the Colonies, rendered
all efforts on the part of the Commissioners unavailing. Leaving
Charles Carroll and Judge Chase, Dr. Franklin and Dr. Carroll
returned together. The strongest personal friendship grew up be-
tween these two eminent men, which continued unimpaired through
life.

After the establishment of peace with Great Britain the American
Catholics became very anxious that a hierarchy should be instituted
in their own country, so as to render them separate from that of
England, on which they had always depended. Dr. Franklin was
at that time residing at Passy, near Paris, as x\meriean ambassador,
and, having the highest opinion of Dr. Carroll's learning, piety and
ability, was enabled by his personal friendship to have much influ-
ence regarding his appointment to a higher position in the Church.
Accordingly, in 1786, Dr. Carroll was created Vicar General for the
United States, and three years later Bishop of Baltimore, being the
first American prelate consecrated in the .Roman Catholic Church,
thus giving primacy to the See of Baltimore. There being no
bishops at that period in the United States, Dr. Carroll was obliged
to go to England to be consecrated. He then returned to Baltimore
and entered zealously upon the duties of his charge. For a number
of years he continued the sole Roman Catholic bishop in the country,

ARCHBISHOP CARROLL. 227

his diocese extending over all the States and territories. In 1810,
five years before his death, which occurred ou the 3d of December,
1815, he was advanced to the dignity of Archbishop. His labors
were necessarily great in consequence of the vast extent of his
province, but he fulfilled them with exemplary fidelity until he was
called from the scene of his labors at the age of eighty years. 2sTo
one was more beloved and respected by all classes and sects than
Archbishop Carroll. Whiie devoted to his own church, he invari-
ably inculcated the spirit of charity, and cultivated the kindest rela-
tions between Catholics and Protestants.

Of the spread of his religion in this country, some idea may be
formed from the fact that in 1808, nineteen years after his consecra-
tion, there were in all the United States only two bishops, sixty-
eight priests, eighty churches, and two ecclesiastical institutions.
There was then but one Catholic to every sixty-eight Protestants.
In 1870, according to the Catholic Almanac, there are seven arch-
bishops and fifty-two bishops. For forty years after " Baltimore-
Town" was laid oat, no Catholic church was erected ; but in 1770, a
part of St. Peter's chapel was reared on Saratoga street, west of
Charles street, on the site of " Carroll Hall," now occupied by the
order of Christian Brothers; bat no priest was regularly settled
there until 1780. Another small chapel was built on the Point in
1796, which has given place to St. Patrick's on Broadway. The
German Catholics in 1799 erected a chapel on Saratoga street, of
which St. Alphonsus, corner of Saratoga and Park streets, now
occupies the site. St. Mary's Chapel, connected with the Seminary
on Pennsylvania avenue, was completed in 1807, and in 1806 Bishop
Carroll laid the corner-stone of the Cathedral now rearing its ma-
jestic proportions on Mulberry and Cathedral streets. Such was
the humble status of Roman Catholic buildings in this city at the
death of Archbishop Carroll, in place of the numerous splendid
churches and other institutions which now adorn Baltimore.

cxT tys\t&£*Y' *>

BENJAMIN F. CATOR.

The ancestors of Mr, Cat or, on both father's and mother's side,
emigrated from England to the United States in the year 1675, and
settled in Calvert count}-, Maryland, whence their descendants re-
moved to Dorchester county in 1719 and 1723.

Mr. B. F. Cator was born on February 10th, 1824, in the city of
Baltimore, then the residence of his father, who, however, soon after
removed to the old homestead in Dorchester, where young Cator
passed his boyhood. As a school boy he was quick to learn and
unusually bright and intelligent for his years. His amiable nature
and happy disposition endeared him to his teachers as well as his
schoolmates. As a youth he was diligent in business, eager to ac-
quire knowledge that might qualify him for his future calling, and
prompt to sacrifice his own gratifications at the call of duty.

In 1838 he removed to Baltimore, and obtained a position with
Mr. J. ~N. Lewis, wholesale stationer, with whom he learned his first
lessons of business. In 1846 he left this house, and accepted the
position of salesman in the house of Cushings & Brothers, wholesale
booksellers, where he remained until 1852.

During these years he found opportunity to form an unusually
extensive acquaintance not only with the business community of the
city, but with the numerous merchants who were in the habit of
visiting Baltimore for purposes of trade. "With these, indeed, his
acquaintance was perhaps more general than that of any other mer-
chant in the city.

In 1852 he became a partner in the house of Armstrong & Cator,
the junior member of which firm was his younger brother. This
house was originally founded by Mr. Thomas Armstrong, when only
sixteen years of age, in the year 1806. After a prosperous career of
thirty-six years, this gentleman found himself reduced to poverty by
a series of disasters ; he, however, manfully struggled to rebuild his
fortunes, and with such success that in a short time he was able to
pay off every dollar of his indebtedness. In 1847 he formed a part-
nership with Mr. E. W. Cator, and the business continuing to
16

230 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

enlarge, about five years later Mr. B. F. Cator was induced to enter
the house, the name of which was changed to Armstrong, Cator &
Company. Mr. Armstrong subsequently, at various times, disposed
of his entire interest in the business to Messrs. J. F. Bealmear, W.
J. H. "Watters, and W. H. Pagon, (all, like the Cators, Mary landers
by birth,) and died in 1868, in his seventy-ninth year, leaving a
handsome fortune, and bequeathing thirty-five thousand dollars for
charitable purposes. Notwithstanding his retirement and subsequent
decease, the name of Mr. Armstrong is still retained in that of the
house Avhich he founded, — the present firm believing in the old Eng-
lish custom, that when a house has been thoroughly established it
should continue under the same style.

After the admission of Mr. B. F. Cator, the prosperity and reputa-
tion of the house continued to increase, and in 1861 it had perhaps
no rival in its special branch of trade. At the commencement of the
war, in 1861, their house, which did a large Southern business, felt
the effects to a considerable degree. In the fall of that year Mr.
Cator went through the lines into the Southern States on business,
and remained there until the following spring, when he returned,
happily without the annoyance and molestation to which many
business men who had made a similar journey were subjected.
Though Mr. Cator was known to be a strong and conscientious
sympathizer with the Southern cause, he had done nothing hostile
to the Government from which his State had not separated, con-
fining his active manifestations of sympathy to the charitable task
of contributing to relieve the sufferings of Southern prisoners, and
ministering to the wants of the sick and wounded, in which case he
looked to the necessities and not to the politics of the sufferers,
though of course those who were cut off from their homes and
friends presented by far the most urgent claims for relief. During
the whole period of the war these gentlemen were most untiring in
these deeds of charity, in which they spent the larger part of their
income.

At the close of the war they exhibited great liberality in extending
facilities to their former Southern customers, who were then greatly
reduced in circumstances, and frequently almost penniless, while the
real estate they held had scarcely any value in the market. But
the firm knew their men; and where they knew there was integrity
and energy they did not hesitate to repose confidence. In this way
they were able to render inestimable service to numbers of worthy
men. By the general liberality of their dealings they have built up
a flourishing trade with all the Southern States, which now reaches

BENJAMIN F. CATOE. 231

an amount annually of $1,250,000, which is about one-fourth more
than that of any Northern house in the same line of business. The
experience of this house is, that the Southern dealers, finding equal
advantages in variety of stock, prices and liberal terms with any
that the Northern merchants can offer, prefer to deal in a Southern
city. Of course to be able to offer these advantages requires great
judgment in selecting, purchasing, and indeed in all the details of
the business.

A peculiar feature of their business, which this house has been
the first to introduce in Baltimore, is the direct importation of
pattern bonnets and hats from France. At the beginning of each
season they import one or two hundred samples of the leading styles
for the season, made up and trimmed by the first artists in that
department in Paris, and costing from twenty-five to seventy-five
dollars apiece. These as soon as received are displayed for general
inspection, and then sold to the trade as patterns at less than half
the cost of importation, thereby enabling milliners to obtain in their
own market, and at greatly reduced prices, what they would other-
wise have to order abroad at very heavy expense. These patterns
are only used as designs, the cost being sixty per cent, greater than
the American manufactured article. At the same time that the
domestic dealers are thus assisted, the house finds its return in
keeping to Baltimore a valuable trade which would otherwise be
drawn off by the Northern importers.

While enjoying as business men to a high degree the confidence
of the community, the brothers are no less esteemed in private life.
They dispense large sums in unostentatious works of beneficence,
and are ever ready to lend a helping hand to deserving young men
about entering on a business career.

In the summer of 1869 Mr. Cator's health suffered severely from
too close application to business, and he is now seeking its restora-
tion in the mild and genial climate of Florida.

SAMUEL CHASE.

Samuel Chase was born in the county of Somerset, Maryland, in
1741. His father Rev. Thomas Chase, was an Englishman, and left
his native country in 1738, for the Island of Jamaica, where he
practiced medicine, remaining, however, in the island only a few
months. !Not very long after his arrival in the colonies, he married
in January, 1740, Matilda Walker, the daughter of a respectable
farmer of Somerset county, Maryland. This lady died in giving
birth to her son Samuel ; and in 1743 the Rev. Thomas Chase
having been appointed Rector of St. Paul's parish in Baltimore, he
removed to that city with his infant son. The youth was carefully
educated under the supervision of his father, and at the age of
eighteen was sent to Annapolis, where he studied law, and in 1761
was admitted to the practice of the law in the provincial courts.

The following year Mr. Chase was married to Miss Anne Bald-
win of Annapolis, who bore him six children. He now entered
with great zeal and industry on the practice of his profession, and
soon acquired a wide reputation, not only as a lawyer, but also as a
statesman, taking the strongest ground in favor of the American
Colonies against the arrogant pretensions and tyranny of Great
Britain. In 1764 he began his public career in the General Assem-
bly of Maryland, continuing an active and influential member of
that body for nearly twenty years. He was a vigorous and untiring
opponent of the " stamp act," losing no opportunity of denouncing
its purpose, and of exposing to the people at large the full measure
of its baleful effects. He was one of the framers of that important
instrument, the " Declaration of Rights of Maryland," and the
author of numerous popular appeals and expositions of the political
affairs' of that excited period; essays and pamphlets which have
now been lost sight of, but which had much weight in their day.

In 1774 he was chosen a delegate to the first Congress and re-
elected in 1776. In the same year he was sent on a mission to
Canada, with Charles Carroll of Carrollton, and his cousin John
Carroll. Their object was to induce the Canadians to unite their

234 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

efforts with the Colonies, in throwing off the yoke of Great Britain,
but the mission proved abortive. On his return he most diligently
canvassed Maryland, and brought public opinion to bear in favor of
the resolution of Independence, the State having been reluctant to
accede to it. He returned to Philadelphia in season to vote for the
much desired measure. He was one of the signers of the Declara-
tion of Independence, and his influence was undoubtedly very great
in gaining the consent of Maryland to join her sister States in that
memorable compact. In 1782, the Governor of Maryland appointed
him agent and trustee with full powers to proceed to England, for
the purpose of recovering the stock of the Bank of England owned
by the State of Maryland. He remained in England for a year, and
there married his second wife, Miss Hannah K. Giles, of London.
She bore him two daughters, and some of their descendants are now
living in Baltimore. At the period when Mr. Chase resided in Eng-
land, Pitt, Burke, Fox, Sheridan, and many other celebrated men
where in the height of their fame and power, and he mingled with
this illustrious circle on terms of cordial intimacy, his own distin-
guished reputation and genial manners, readily giving him access to
the best society of the British Metropolis.

After his return to America he removed his residence to Balti-
more in 1786, and in 1791 he was appointed Judge of the General
Court of Maryland, and in 1793, Judge of the Criminal Court for
Baltimore county, when he resigned his judgeship in the General
Court. He was a man of great personal courage, and in 1794,
during a riot he caused the arrest of two men. They refused to give
bail, and as they were popular citizens, the sheriff' was apprehensive
of a rescue at the hands of the mob if he attempted to take them to
prison. "Call out the posse comitatus," said the judge, on being
informed of the sheriff's fears. "No one will serve on it, sir,"
answered that officer. " Then, sir," returned Judge Chase, " sum-
mon me, I will be the posse comitatus. I will take them to jail
myself."

In 1796, President Washington appointed him one of the Judges
of the Supreme Court of the United States. On the bench he
proved his signal ability, as he had before, as an advocate, and many
of his opinions were held in high estimation. In 1804, however,
charges of malfeasance in office was brought against him, and he
was impeached in the House of Representatives. The trial attracted
very great attention. Aaron Burr the Vice-President of the United
States, who was himself afterward tried for high treason, presided
on the occasion ; and Judge Chase was defended by Robert Goodloe

SAMUEL CHASE. 235

Harper, and Luther Martin, then at the height of their fame.
Judge Chase was impeached at the instance of John Randolph of
Roanoke, and it was charged against him in reference to Callender's
trial five years before, that his conduct was marked "by manifest
injustice, partiality and intemperance." He was by nature some-
what overbearing and peremptory, but he was acquitted by the
Senate of all the charges and specifications, and on the 5th of
March, 1805, discharged, when he resumed his seat upon the bench,
which he held for the remainder of his life. He died June 19th,
1811, aged seventy years, leaving a worthy reputation as statesman,
patriot and jurist.

^J^gJ[ ,J^&>^i^

r-—

HUGH A. COOPER.

Before the use of iron had so largely superseded that of wood in
the construction of sea-goiug vessels, especially of the class which
are built for speed, and before the application of steam, with the
same object, had wrought a revolution in the art of ship buildino-,
as well as in that of navigation, the ship builders of Baltimore
enjoyed a world-wide reputation for the superiority of their models
of fast sailing vessels. This reputation which dates back even to
the days when Baltimore was a village, was at its height in the
earlier part of the present century, when Hugh' A. Cooper, the sub-
ject of the present sketch, was apprenticed to Messrs. Harrison &
Auld, to learn the trade of a ship carpenter. The Baltimore clipper
was then what the Clyde built steamer is now. For voyages to the
"West Indies and the Spanish Main — for ocean races from Canton,
with cargoes of tea — wherever, in fact, rapidity of transportation was
considered more important than mere carrying capacity, the clip-
per model was confessedly the best and universally preferred. Such
was the reputation in fact acquired by the ship yards of .Baltimore
in those days for vessels of this build, that when originally con-
structed, and intended only for purposes of legitimate commerce,
the Baltimore clippers sometimes found their way subsequently into
less creditable employments, in those paths of hazardous or unlaw-
ful adventure for which their fast sailing qualities particularly
recommend them. There is hardly an old sea tale, the incidents
of which are laid in the first part of this century, in the days of
French privateers and Spanish buccaneers, which does not open
with some description of "a long, low, rakish-looking schooner,
whose tapering spars and perfect lines," are supposed at once to
suggest the skillful hand of the Baltimore builder, and the dubious
character of the vessel's employment.

Hugh A. Cooper, born in Talbot county, Maryland, January 22d,
1811, was brought up in the school of these famous old masters of
the craft, whose reputation he worthily maintained, although
belonging himself to a somewhat later day and different era in the

238 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

history of ship building. After serving his apprenticeship of four
years with Harrison & Auld, in 1833, he commenced business for
himself, but the following year he formed a partnership with Mr. J.
J. Abrahams, which lasted until 1848. He afterward was a member
of the ship building firm of Cooper & Butler, and still more recently
of that of Cooper & Slicer. During the time that he was actively
engaged in business, Mr. Cooper built some of the finest vessels
which have ever been launched from American yards. He built
the Sinus, and the barks Roberto, and Johannes; also the ship
Andalusia, for the house of William "Wilson & Sons, and several fine
vessels for the firm of James I. Fisher & Sons. He also built several
steamers, among them the fine boats George Peabody and Belvidere,
of the Norfolk or Bay line, and the late ice boat Chesapeake, a
steam vessel of great power, built for the express purpose of
keeping open the channel of the Patapsco river and the harbor
of Baltimore during winters of unusual severity, and requiring
therefore the use of the strongest material as well as great care
in her construction. None who examined this vessel doubted that
she would be found thoroughly efficient for the purpose intended ;
and that her capabilities were not put to the test of practical
experiment, was owing to the fact that, since she was built, the
harbor of Baltimore has happily remained unobstructed by ice,
until the winter of the present year, when she was destroyed
by fire.

Mr. Cooper, in the course of his active and useful life, was called
upon to discharge various public trusts and employments, in all of
which he acquitted himself with credit. He was one of the com-
missioners for deepening the channel of the Patapsco ; several times
represented his ward in the City Council, and at one time repre-
sented the city in the lower house of the State Legislature. He
was also a director, chosen on the part of the city, in the Baltimore
and Ohio Railroad Company, and at the time of his death, which
occurred on the 11th of November, 1870, was a director in the
Second National Bank, and in several insurance companies. In
1867, in consequence of ill health, caused by early exposure and too
close attention to business, he retired from its more active employ-
ments, having previously disposed of his interest in the dock to Mr.
Abrahams. He continued, however, to retain an interest in various
enterprises, both public and private, and was a part owner of the
ships Macauley and Annapolis.

His successful career, aided to that of so many other men whose
lives are recorded in this volume, is another example to the young

HUGH A. COOPER. 239

of what honesty, untiring industry and business tact can accom-
plish, although unaided by early advantages of friends or fortune.
The civic employments he filled attest the respect and confidence in
which his character was deservedly held by his fellow citizens. It
can be truly said, moreover, that these tokens of the public esteem
and good will came to him unsought, for Mr. Cooper was at no
time of his life a politician in the ordinary acceptation of the word,
and his modesty was as characteristic as his merit.

HENRY WINTER DAVIS.

The capital of Maryland has given birth to many very distin-
guished men, and one of them, Henry Winter Davis, was born in
Annapolis, on the 16th of August, 1817. His father, Rev. Henry
Lyon Davis, was a clergyman of the Protestant Episcopal Church,
the rector of St. Ann's parish, and at one period, president of St.
John's College. His mother, Jane Brown "Winter, was a woman of
much elegance of mind and person. Early in young Davis's life, his
father was displaced from the presidency of St. John's on account of
his Federal politics, when he removed to Wilmington, Delaware ;
eventually returning to Maryland, and settling in Anne Arundel
county, in 1827. Henry Winter Davis's early education began at
home, under the strict supervision of his aunt, Elizabeth Brown
Winter, and a part of his childhood was passed with her in Alex-
andria, Virginia. Later training with his father, in Wilmington
and in Anne Arundel county, fitted him for school, from whence he
entered Kenyon college, Ohio, in the autumn of 1833.

The primeval forests of Ohio, forty years ago, had been scarcely
invaded, and the greater part of the State was still a wilderness
when Davis entered upon his collegiate course. The system at
Kenyon at that time was that of a manual labor institution, and the
students were obliged to perform all offices for themselves. Davis
was not exempt from the general hardship of the place, and in
addition to the severe round of duty, his means at this period were
exceedingly limited. His father died during his collegiate course ;
the farm in Anne Arundel county yielded the most scanty return,
and his aunt kept him at college only by the strictest economy on
her own part. Stern and unpromising as his situation was at this
time, no doubt the hard struggle proved of signal benefit in
training him for the far greater trials which later in life he was
called upon to confront. He graduated on the 6th of September,
1837, at the age of twenty, having by diligence in study passed
over his Sophomore year, being successful at its commencement in
his examination for the Junior term.

242 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

On leaving college, lie was obliged, owing to his poverty, to
accept a situation as tutor, he steadfastly refusing either to sell the
slaves which had been left to him under his father's will, or to
receive a cent of their wages. He was enabled to enter the Univer-
sity of Virginia in October, 1839, where he pursued a thorough
legal course, and also familiarized himself with the great masters of
history and philosophy, and acquired a knowledge of French and
German, in addition to the Greek and Latin languages, which
he had learned at Kenyou. At the University of Virginia he
thoroughly laid the foundation of the elegant scholarship which
distinguished him not less than his legal research and brilliant
oratory.

After a thorough course of study at this celebrated institution of
learning, Mr. Davis returned to Alexandria and entered upon the
practice of the law. His ability was soon acknowledged, and his
industry early obtained an extensive business. He was a frequent
contributor to the newspapers, and many of his articles on political
subjects attracted great attention. In 1845 he married Miss Con-
stance Gardiner. This lady lived but a few years after marriage,
and not long after her death, Mr. Davis left Alexandria. He
settled in Baltimore in 1850. His reputation as a talented and
rising lawyer had preceded him, and he at once took rank in this
city with the leading members of the bar. In politics, he was
allied with the Whig party, and took an active part in the Scott
campaign of 1852. On the defeat and final extinction of the
Whigs, Mr. Davis adopted the principles of the American party.
He was elected to the National House of Representatives from the
fourth district of Maryland, to the thirty-fourth, thirty-fifth and
thirty-sixth Congresses. In the Hall of Representatives, he was
very soon recognized as one of its ablest debaters. With thorough
mastery of the subject under discussion, he always commanded the
attention of the House by his strictly logical reasoning, his array of
facts, his knowledge of constitutional law, the chaste but fervid
eloquence of his diction, the strength and melody of his voice, and
his handsome and commanding presence. Even his strongest
political opponents were ready to acknowledge his ability, and
listen to him with pleasure. He supported Mr. Fillmore for the
Presidency in 1856, and Mr. Bell in I860.

With the election of Mr. Lincoln, the political differences which
had already so deeply agitated the entire country, took more
decided shape, although the friends of peace, North and South, still
fervently hoped for a pacific solution of all troubles. It is not

HENRY WINTER DAVIS. 243

within the province of this biography to discuss the merits of the
question. Mr. Davis strenuously adopted the side of the Union
against secession. On the fourth day of the second session of the
thirty-sixth Congress, the famous committee of thirty-three was
raised, Mr. Davis as the member for Maryland. He argued in
favor of the right of coercion by the general government, of States
preparing to secede from the Union. The fall of Fort Sumter
finally destroyed all hopes of averting civil war, as the entire nation
rose in arms. The coming awful struggle subdued all other inter-
ests in America, while in Europe " kings sat still, and nations
turned to watch the issue."

On the 15th of April, 1861, President Lincoln issued his procla-
mation, calling a special session of Congress. This making an
election necessary in Maryland, Mr. Davis on the same day offered
himself as a candidate for Congress on the basis of " the uncon-
ditional maintenance of the Union." He labored with great
activity until the day of election, June 13th, but was defeated by
Mr. Henry May,. the conservative Union candidate. Mr. Davis,
however, did not cease his exertions, but supported Mr. Lincoln's
administration with untiring zeal. The question of emancipation
did not at first enter into the strife, and not for some time after
the battle of Antietam was it agitated in Maryland. At length,
early in 1863, it was mooted, its advocates at first being very few in
number. Mr. Davis gave to the measure his most earnest support,
and in the campaign of 1863 worked with prodigious industry on
the platform of "immediate emancipation by constitutional means."
After extraordinary exertions on bis part, not only visiting all
sections of the State to address popular meetings, but directing the
principal correspondence, and writing leading articles for the news-
papers, he beheld the cause of immediate emancipation completely
successful. He was returned to the thirty-eighth Congress by the
Unconditional Union party. In this, his last public function, he
stood an acknowledged leader of the House of Representatives, and
was looked upon as one certain of much higher political distinction
than he had already won. At the close of the thirty-eighth Con-
gress he retired from public life. His excessive labors, and the
excitement and anxiety of the past few years, had worn upon his
strength, and he had determined to visit Europe in the spring of
1866, to remain some length of time. He was suddenly seized with
illness toward the latter part of December, 1865, but was not con-
sidered in serious danger until the day preceding his death. He
died on Saturday, December 30th, aged forty-eight years. Unusual

244 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

honors were paid to his memory. His funeral was largely attended
by members of both Houses of Congress, and by cabinet ministers.
The Legislatures of several States passed resolutions of regret for his
loss, and in the National House of Representatives, an oration on
his life and character was delivered by Hon. John A. J. Creswell,
of Maryland, on the 22d of February, 1866.

Mr. Davis was twice married ; his second wife, Mrs. Nancy Davis,
daughter of John B. Morris, of this city, resides in Baltimore with
her two daughters.

Beside the published speeches of Mr. Davis, he wrote several
pamphlets on political subjects, or, on matters relating to the Prot-
estant Episcopal Church, of which he was an earnest member. He
also, in 1852, published a large work in one volume, the result of
researches of historical nature, entitled " the War of Ormuzd and
Ahriman in the nineteenth century."

The time has not yet arrived, and probably is still distant, when
an impartial estimate will be formed of Henry Winter Davis. He
nourished at the most momentous period of our national history,
when the passions of men were most violently excited. But
probably all parties will agree in according to him high resolve and
unflinching courage, untiring industry and perseverance, much
learning and cultivation, excellence of private character, and
striking and brilliant gifts -as an American orator and statesman.

BENJAMIN DEFORD.

The late Benjamin Deford, son of Benjamin and Ann TIntton
Deford, was born in Anne Arundel county, Maryland, in 1799, and
at the time of his death which occurred in this city, April 17th,
1870, had filled the allotted measure of ripe three-score and ten, the
whole of which long term, from the age of fourteen, had been spent
in Baltimore. In February, 1810, having had the misfortune to be
deprived by death of both his parents, he was taken to live with
his maternal uncle, Richard G. Hutton, who resided in the same
neighborhood. With him he remained for three years, sometimes
assisting in the lighter labors of the farm, suitable to his years,
occasionally attending the village school. The deficiencies of his
early education Mr. Deford was accustomed to deplore, as who does
not, that has had a similar experience ? These deficiencies could
not hide, however, the native vigor of his shrewd common sense
intellect, particularly, when in late days, at meetings of the Balti-
more and Ohio Railroad Directors, and on other occasions when busi-
ness men were met together to discuss business projects, Mr. Deford,
in homeliest phrase, but with unmistakable clearness of mental
vision, foresight and sagacity, would unfold the plans which he con-
sidered were best adapted to further the enterprise they had in hand.

In May, 1813, he came from his uncle's house in Anne Arundel,
to Baltimore, and was placed in the store of James C. Doddrcll, to
learn the business of currying and manufacturing leather. In
January, 1823, he set up in business for himself, in a small way, on
the present site of the large and handsome warehouse, at the corner
of Calvert and Lombard streets, where the hide and leather trade
in which he engaged, and which he successfully prosecuted for half a
century, is still being extensively carried on by his sons.

Mr. Deford accumulated a large fortune by the simple but, in
these speculative days, too often neglected and underrated means of
thrift, perseverance and honesty. As his wealth increased, the same
shrewd, practical judgment in business matters, which distinguished
him through life, guided him in enterprises of wider scope and
greater moment to the community. He took an active part in pro-
17

246 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

moting works of public improvement, particularly steamship and
railroad lines. He was for many years a prominent Director in the
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company, in the progress and de-
velopment of which great work, of vital importance to the trade and
prosperity of Baltimore, he felt the deepest interest, and where his
services were of great value. He was also one of the founders and
the largest owner of the Boston Steamship Company, and one of the
fine steamers which compose the line bears his name. Mr. Deford
also gave proofs of his enterprise in the erection of two large cotton
mills at Ellicott city, Maryland, the first of which was destroyed by
lire in 1866. Being rebuilt the following year, it was again de-
stroyed this time by flood, in July, 1868, involving a loss of more
than $350,000. The day of this occurrence will be long and sadly
remembered in the beautiful valley of the Patapsco, along whose
pleasant banks the flood scattered wide-spread ruin and desolation,
as well as in the city of Baltimore, which also suffered heavily
through the sudden rise in the waters of Jones's Falls, inundating
the lower portion of the city. The loss of life, as well as of property,
occasioned by this flood was very great, and in the vicinity of Elli-
cott city, and at other points lower down, on the Fatapsco, traces of
the disaster may still be seen, which it will take years to obliterate.
Mr. Deford was a Director in the Mount Vernon Manufacturing
Company, and one of the founders and Directors of the First
National Bank of Baltimore, and he was also a Director in the
Mechanics Bank, the Savings Bank, the Equitable Insurance Com-
pany, and in various other corporations.

Among those institutions of benevolence and charity, which were
fostered by his liberality, Mr. Deford took an especial interest in the
House of Refuge, established for the reclamation and reformation of
juvenile offenders and those unfortunate waifs of society, who, in
the absence of parental restraints and home influences, grow up,
neglected, in the vagabondage of the streets, until they graduate
thorough proficients in the school of crime. Mr. Deford felt that
no more useful work could be undertaken than the rescue . and
reformation of this unfortunate class, and consequently the House of
Refuge, a public institution especially designed for this purpose, re-
ceived his active encouragement and support. Mr. Deford's general
charities were as diffusive as they were unostentatious, amounting
during the last ten years of his life to thousands of dollars an-
nually.

He died April 17th, 1870, leaving a large estate, the accumulation
of years of patient industry, of prudent foresight, and of judicious
enterprise.

/

yfc*yi^£?<***

*>f .

GEORGE NATHANIEL EATON.

George Nathaniel Eaton was born in the city of New York,
December 23d, 1811. His father was a native of Massachusetts,
and his mother of Connecticut. Both parents were descended from
the earliest Puritan colonists, and belonged to families well known
and respected in their neighborhood.

Mr. Eaton received as good an education as was to be procured at
that day outside the walls of a college. A part of his youth was
passed at the homestead of his mother, near Bridgeport, Connecticut,
where he attended the district school in the country, or a higher one
in that town. Subsequently he pursued more advanced studies in
an academy in New York. Before he reached the age of fifteen he
commenced a clerkship to mercantile business, and was thus engaged
in commercial houses in New York until after he reached his
majority, by which experience he obtained, under the guidance of
intelligent and systematic merchants, a thorough acquaintance with
all the details of business.

In the year 1834, while on a visit to Baltimore, he was invited by
the late David Stewart to study law in his office with a view
to adopt that profession. The invitation was accepted, and Mr.
Eaton removed to this city, in which he has ever since resided. He
devoted himself with great assiduity to his new study, and his
progress and prospects were encouraging. But after a little more
than a year thus employed, he received an advantageous offer to
join his brothers, who were already engaged in business in Balti-
more ; and deeming this opportunity as opening a readier and more
assured career to prosperity than the practice of the law, he relin-
quished, with reluctance, the latter, and returned to his former voca-
tion. In the business thus undertaken, he has continued to the
present time, making a commercial life of over forty years.

Mr. Eaton combined with thorough business habits a love of
reading and study, which he gratified to an extent not common
with active business men, and among the subjects that enlisted his
interest was that of education. This characteristic prompted his

248 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

former fellow student, the late "William George Baker, then the
President of the Board of Commissioners of Public Schools, to sug-
gest to him the propriety of his taking a part in the cause of public '
education, and at Mr. Baker's instance he was elected by the City
Council in 1854 one of the Commissioners. This office he filled
until 1865, during nine years of which term he held the position of
President of the Board, being annually elected with unanimity by
the Commissioners. He was at last compelled to decline a re-
election and retire from the Board on account of ill health.

During these eleven years he was unremitting in his endeavors to
promote the great cause of education, and to render the manage-
ment of its interests energetic and effective. His exertions were
gratefully recognized by the public, and his relations with his fellow-
commissioners, with teachers and pupils, were always pleasant and
friendly. President of the Board all through the time of the civil
war, his duties in that position, as well as those of all the com-
missioners, were important and delicate, in co-operating with the
public authorities to prevent disorder in the schools and to keep
them to their proper work, which was perhaps as useful a service
as he could have rendered to the community during that critical
period.

In 1865 Mr. Eaton was unexpectedly awarded the degree of
Master of Arts, honoris causa, conferred upon him by Harvard
College, "in recognition," as it was stated by the President, Rev.
Dr. Hill, in transmitting the diploma, "of his long and faithful
services in the cause of public education, and in acknowledgment of
his worth as a citizen and as a man," — a valued compliment, coming
form this time-honored institution.

On the visit to this country in 1867 of Mr. George Peabody, his
early friend, Mr. Eaton was appointed by him a trustee of the Pea-
body Educational Fund for the Southern States to represent the
State of Maryland in that trust. In the duties of this position he
has taken the warmest interest, and he is a member of the Executive
Committee of the Board. At the commencement of its operations
he made a journey among the States which are participants in the
benefits of the trust, to confer with their leading men as to the most
judicious mode of its administration, and on his return made a Re-
port to the Board, giving the result of his observations.

Mr. Eaton was for many years a Director, and for a time a Vice-
President, of the Baltimore Board of Trade, and for several years
Director in the Union Bank. He is at present a Director of the
Savings Bank of Baltimore and of the Maryland Institution for the

GEORGE NATHANIEL EATON. 249

Instruction of the Blind. In 1844 he married the daughter of
William E. Mayhew, an old and respected merchant of Baltimore,
and at the time of his death President of the Peabody Institute
and of the Farmers and Planters Bank. In his religious views Mr.
Eaton is a Unitarian.

Though of decided political opinions, Mr. Eaton has never been
an active politician. On some special occasions he has been identi-
fied with party action, but has never sought office, being disinclined
by temperament to the excitement of public life. Always in favor
of upholding the constitutional provision as to slavery within the
States, he was never an admirer of that system, and he accordingly
sympathized in the efforts made to prevent its extension, and he did
not waver in his devotion to the cause of the Union when he con-
sidered its integrity was put in peril.

The even tenor and regular routine of a purely commercial career
rarely furnish many of those striking incidents and salient points
which add interest to a biography. Business demands from its
followers a close observance and undivided attention as the condi-
tions of success, and the ardor of the pursuit often — perhaps too
often — becomes so absorbing as to disqualify them for other occupa-
tions and legitimate enjoyments. In this respect Mr. Eaton's life
has been exceptionally fortunate, and he has been able, without
detriment to his more urgent affairs, to find leisure to devote to
those literary pursuits to which his taste has always inclined him ;
and he has, moreover, at various times, enjoyed the pleasures and
advantages of foreign travel, including a winter's residence in the
Island of Madeira, — thus agreeably diversifying a life otherwise
unmarked by noteworthy events. At the present time he has
withdrawn from an active participation in business in consequence
of impaired health.

o4^c^

JAMES ISOM FISHER.

James Isom Fisher was born in Baltimore, on the 11th of October,
1798. In the year 1815, he entered the counting-house of Messrs.
R. II. & William Douglass, then among the most prominent and
respected shipping merchants of the city. After the death of the
junior partner, in 1821, the business was continued by Mr. Richard
H. Douglass, with whom Mr. Fisher retained his connection, and
ultimately formed a co-partnership under the style of R. II. Doug-
lass & Company. From the dissolution of this firm, by the death of
Mr. Douglass, in 1829, Mr. Fisher carried on the shipping and com-
mission business, in his own name, until 1854, when he took into
partnership with him his sons Robert A. and Richard D. Fisher,
under the firm of James I. Fisher & Sons. In 1863, Mr. Fisher
retired from business, and the house now bears the name of Fisher
Brothers & Company, and is extensively engaged in the West India
trade.

Forty-eight years of active business life, in all its stages, secured
to Mr. Fisher not only the prosperity and leading position he de-
served, but a reputation, justly unsurpassed, for scrupulous probity
and honor. Educated to regard his calling as a liberal profession,
he sought its rewards in none but its legitimate pursuits, and it
would be difficult to find a better illustration than his career, of the
reasonable certainty with which success may, by such means, be
assured, where intelligence and integrity are combined with pru-
dence, industry and system. The well-balanced intellect and char-
acter, so efficient and so fully recognized in the commercial life of
Mr. Fisher, were equally conspicuous, at the same time, in all his
modest and exemplary relations to society. His firmness and stead-
fastness of purpose and conviction were always happily tempered by
fairness and moderation and a proper regard for the rights and
opinions of others. It is thus that the rivalries and collisions of a
long and busy life have left no animosities to cloud his retirement,
and the respect in which he is held is as nearly universal and un-
qualified as may be, among men.

^d

RICHARD FULLER.

The Baptist Church in Baltimore has counted among its mem-
bers some of our most eminent citizens, and although as a sect it
was very limited in the early history of the city, it now exhibits a
strong and rapidly progressive growth. To this end no one has
contributed so materially as the Rev. Dr. Fuller. He was born in
Beaufort, South Carolina, in 1808. At an early age he prepared
for college, and received his degree at Harvard University in the
class of 1824, although he left college at the end of his junior year.
While at Cambridge, he was distinguished for scholarship, and the
versatility of talent he displayed. On his return to his native State
he adopted the law as his profession, and having completed his
studies was admitted to the bar before the age of twenty-one, as
required by the laws of the State. He at once entered on an exten-
sive practice which grew so rapidly that, at the third term of the
court after he was admitted, he had one hundred and fifty cases to
argue. While thus engaged, with every prospect of future eminence
as a lawyer, he was prostrated by a severe illness, during which his
mind was much exercised on the subject of religion. On his re-
covery, he decided to join the Episcopal Church, and some years
later was converted to the Baptist persuasion. Having been bap-
tized, and entering ardently into the communion he had chosen, he
abandoned his legal pursuits, and diligently studied theology for a
year in his preparation for the ministry. He was then ordained
and took charge of the Beaufort Baptist Church. During the time
that he had charge of it, lie extended the sphere of his labors be-
yond his own parish, and as a missionary displayed great zeal in
preaching the gospel among the slaves. In 1836 he proceeded to
Europe, spending a year there in consequence of impaired health,
and on his return resumed his office with great effect.

Since 1847, Dr. Fuller has resided in Baltimore, taking; charge of

' * © ©

the Seventh Baptist Church, and laboring diligently and with
marked ability and success in building up the sect to which he is
devoted. When he came to this city the Baptists were, compared

254 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

with other religious denominations, very few in numbers, but now
ten or twelve prosperous churches attest the growth of the sect, and
Dr. Fuller is justly regarded as the most influential of its pastors.
Honorary degrees have been conferred upon him by Harvard and
Columbia Colleges. Dr. Fuller is a powerful pulpit orator and dis-
putant. He has published several works : his principal writings
being " Correspondence with Bishop England concerning the Roman
Chancery:" "Correspondence with Dr. Way land on Domestic
Slavery ;" " Sermons ;" " Letters," &c. He is also noted for his collo-
quial powers, and wide culture of mind. The society of which Dr.
Fuller is pastor is now erecting a new structure on the corner of
Eutaw and Dolphin streets, facing Eutaw Square. It is entirely
built of white marble, with a lofty pointed spire of the same
material, and when completed, as it will be at no distant day, will
present one of the noblest and most beautiful church edifices in the
city.

HORATIO N. GAMBRILL.

Horatio E". Gambrill, eldest son of John and Abigail Gambrill,
was born in Anne Arundel comity, Maryland, on the first day of
December, 1810. In the following year his parents removed to
Baltimore comity, about four miles from the city. Here he received
an elementary education at the country schools, until he reached
the age of sixteen, when he was placed by his father as an appren-
tice to the Savage Manufacturing Company of Maryland, to learn
the business of the cotton manufacture. The term of his appren-
ticeship endured between five and six years ; during which time he
was constantly and industriously employed in the various depart-
ments of the business. In accordance with the custom of the time,
the young apprentice was employed in many duties which would
probably be looked upon by many young men of the present day as
menial ; but which, in reality, aided no little in fostering habits of
industry and developing self-reliance and independence of character.
The salary he received at this time was about $100 per annum for
board and clothing.

At the age of twenty, young Gambrill was promoted by the agent
of the Compan}7, Mr. Amos A. Williams, to the responsible position
of overseer of the spinning department, and in about a year more
received further promotion, and was made overseer of the carding
department, the most important branch of the manufacture. After
occupying this situation for about two years, he left the employment
of the Savage Company, taking with him an excellent letter of
recommendation from their agent.

Mr. Gambrill then visited the West, with the intention of taking
up his residence in that section, but after a short absence returned
to Maryland, and accepted the superintendence of the old Jericho
Factory, situated on the Little Gunpowder Falls in Baltimore
count\\ In the year 183G he resigned this position, and in connec-
tion with David Carroll, commenced, in a very small way, the manu-
facture of cotton yarns at a place called Stony Works, near the

256 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

city of Baltimore. The buildings occupied for this purpose were
those afterwards used by Michael Hurley as an ice house.

An incident which happened to him at this period, is worthy of
record as exhibiting the independent spirit of the young manufac-
turer, and its ready appreciation by one who was no ill judge of
character. One day, as he was driving a one-horse wagon, sitting
astride a round bale of cotton which he was taking to his factory,
he was stopped by the founder of a prominent commercial house in
Baltimore, a gentleman still living at an advanced age, who said to
him: " Don't you know, young man, that that is the most honorable
position you can occupy ?" Mr. Gambrill was much gratified at
being thus noticed and encouraged by one so much his senior and a
leading merchant ; and to this day he never fails to revert to it with
pleasure.

In the small business, thus commenced he was greatly assisted by
his old employers, the Savage Company, who furnished all the requi-
site machinery on the most reasonable terms and at long credit.
The last of the notes which were given in this transaction was
paid exactly two years in advance of its maturity.

After continuing this business with encouraging success for two
years, Mr. Gambrill leased from the trustees of Charles T. Ellicott
the property then known as the Old Whitehall Flouring Mill, on
Jones's Falls, and, in connection with others, built the Whitehall
Cotton Factory, where in 1839 they commenced, with five looms,
the manufacture of cotton duck for sails. In 1842 they purchased
the Woodberry property from Messrs. Collins and Pettigrew of
North Carolina, and in the following year built the Woodberry Fac-
tory for the purpose of carrying on the manufacture on a more
extensive scale.

In 1815 he doubled the producing capacity of this factory, and
the water power proving insufficient, steam was introduced in the
following year. In 1817, in connection with other parties, Mr. Gam-
brill purchased from Hugh Jenkins, the Laurel Mill on Jones's
Falls, and soon after built the Mount Vernon Mill, No. 1, converting,
later, the old flouring mill into a cotton factory.

In 1852, Mr. Gambrill, with others, purchased the Washington
Factory on the same stream, and proceeded to rebuild and enlarge
the establishment, in which he put in operation 52 looms and 3,500
spindles for the manufacture of the lighter numbers of cotton duck.
In the next year the Whitehall Factory was destroyed by fire, and
upon its site was erected the Clipper Mill, a one-storied building,
600 feet in length and 50 feet wide, with such expedition that the

HORATIO N. GAMBRILL. 257

machinery commenced running in less than six months from the
day of the fire.

Shortly after the completion of the Clipper Mill, Mr. Gamhrill
built the Park Mill at Woodbeny, where he commenced the manu-
facture of netting for seines on the machinery invented and patented
by the late John McMullen of Baltimore.

Both branches of manufacture continued to increase until the
year 1865, when Mr. G-ambrill sold out his entire interest to his
partner, Wm. E. Hooper, and commenced building the Druid Mill,
at present the largest manufacturing establishment in Maryland.
This mill was put in operation in April, 1866, and has now running
eight lappers, sixty-six carding engines, eight thousand spindles, and
one hundred duck looms, consuming twenty bales of cotton dail}*,
and turning out goods worth, at present prices, $55,000 per month,
most of which are sold in Philadelphia, New York, and Boston.
The establishment and machinery was erected at a cost of $170,000,
and gives employment to three hundred persons.

Before the Old Whitehall Factory, previously mentioned, was
built, all, or nearlj7 all, the cotton duck used in this country was
manufactured by the Passaic and Phoenix mills in Paterson, New
Jersey, and the prices charged by those establishments greatly hin-
dered the extension of the trade ; but soon after the operations of
the Whitehall Factory placed an equally good article in the market
at a much lower price, the Maryland goods found such extensive
favor as to almost entirely drive from the market the productions of
the Russian and English looms, from which the mercantile marine
of the country had hitherto been almost exclusively supplied. This
continued until after the commencement of the war of 1861, when
the price of the raw material rose so high as greatly to check the
manufacture and bring the foreign goods into the market again. In
1866 cotton fell to about forty cents, when the manufacture and
consumption of cotton duck revived, and at the present time the
domestic article has again nearly driven the foreign from* the market.
The Passaic and Phoenix mills have also ceased producing this de-
scription of goods, being unable to compete with the Baltimore
manufacturers in the markets of Philadelphia, New York and Boston.
Large quantities of these goods are also exported to the British Pro-
vinces, and to South America, and they find considerable sale in the
markets of Liverpool and London.

All this trade is supplied by the mills on Jones's Falls; the
demand in Baltimore amounting to about $100,000 yearly, and for
the eastern cities about a million and a half dollars. The annual

258 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

consumption of cotton by these mills is about 24,000 bales, or
10,800,000 pounds, which at the present price of sixteen cents,
amounts to $1,728,000, from which the goods produced reach a
value of not less than $2,500,000. The expenditure for labor in
the factories alone is about $300,000 per annum.

This business, now so extensive and valuable to the city of Balti-
more is the legitimate offspring of the five looms started in the old
"Whitehall Factory, in the year 1839. Although during nearly the
whole of Mr. GambriU's business life, other persons were associated
with him, yet to his industry and perseverance is mainly due these
great results. Brief as this memoir is, we know of none which con-
tains a more valuable lesson to young men entering business life, of
what results may be obtained by diligent devotion to their business,
by freedom from that foolish pride which contemns honest manual
labor as unworthy drudgery, by that ennobling self-reliance which
springs from thorough knowledge; by enterprise, courageous, but
not rash, and by integrity which no temptation can make swerve
from the right.

During the early period of his business, several very advantageous
offers were made to Mr. Gambrill to leave Maryland, and prosecute
his manufacture in Massachusetts. A capital of $200,000 was
offered for this purpose ; but after duly weighing the proposals, he
preferred to remain in his native State.

Soon after the building of the Woodberry Factory in 1843, it
was deemed necessary to have a church for the religious instruction
of the operatives, and for the accommodation of other persons in
the neighborhood. Measures were accordingly taken by Mr. Gam-
brill, which resulted in the erection of a very neat church, which
was used as a place of worship from that time until the year 1867.
At this time, it having become entirely inadequate to meet its
purposes, it was removed to give place to the large and elegant
edifice just completed on the old site. The old church was mainly
built by Mr. Gambrill and his business associates, and was for
several years used as a place of worship for all denominations of
Christians. It was finally presented, together with the lot of
ground on which it stands, to the Methodist Episcopal Church.

Previous to the inauguration of the free school system in Balti-
more county, Mr. Gambrill, in connection with his business asso-
ciates, opened a school at Woodberry, and emplo}ring a teacher,
gave gratuitous instruction to the children of parents in their
employ, and to such other children in the neighborhood as chose to

HORATIO N. GAM BRILL. 259

avail themselves of the opportunity. This school was continued
until the inauguration of the free school system in the county.

Mr. Gambrill, for twenty years of his life, was actively engaged
in the Sunday School cause, and, in connection with his personal
friend, the late Rev. E. Y. Eeese, did much toward building up the
Sunday School at \Voodberry, which is now one of the most pros-
perous Sabbath Schools to be found in this county.

We cannot forbear mentioning an instance of his kindness to
those who faithfully serve him.

Surely nothing would so reconcile (and prevent the many con-
flicts of) labor and capital, and stimulate emulation and mutual
interest, as appreciative notice, and judicious reward to capable and
worthy men. In 1860, the mill of the Savage Manufacturing Co.,
in which Air. Gambrill served his apprenticeship, was sold. Subse-
quently, Mr. Gambrill acquired one-half interest in the mill, and
disposed of it to Messrs. Donaldson & Burgee, the deserving super-
intendents of the " Clipper" and the " Washington" Mills. The
terms were so generous and unexampled, that both gentlemen
achieved a brilliant pecuniary success, and gratefully bore testimony
to the liberality and favor of their employer.

In connection with another party, now deceased, several valuable
improvements in machinery have been invented by Mr. Gambrill ;
among others, a self-stripping cotton card, the right of which he
sold in England for $66,000, and from which he receives, in the
United States, an annual royalty o*f S4,000.

Mr. Gambrill is now sixty years of age ; in the full enjoyment of
excellent health, and still in the prime vigor of his bodily and
mental faculties. He continues, in association with two of his sons
and Henry C. Tudor, the prosecution of his large and pros-
perous business. He has embarked in no enterprise or speculation
outside of his legitimate occupation, the cotton manufacture, to
which his energies are still devoted, and which now yields him, in
an ample income, the well earned reward of his active life.

n^x.

Coy-e

l£

~>

JOHN W. GARRETT.

John W. Garrett, the President of the Baltimore and Ohio
Railroad Company, was born in the City of Baltimore, on July 31st,
1820. He was the second son of the late Robert Garrett, a wealthy
merchant, largely engaged in foreign and domestic commerce, who,
throughout a long life, enjoyed the respect of his fellow citizens for
his intelligence, enterprise and purity of character.

John W. Garrett was educated in the city of Baltimore, until
his removal to Lafayette College, in the State of Pennsylvania,
where he completed his studies. On his return home, he entered
his father's counting room, and became a partner with his lather
and elder brother, Henry S. Garrett, at the early age of nineteen
years, in the firm of Robert Garrett & Sons.

Mr. Robert Garrett knew, thoroughly, the unlimited resources and
production of the Western States, and understood the geographical
advantages which Baltimore enjoyed as their market and place of
supply. He therefore spared no pains in cultivating close relations
between the City of Baltimore and the communities west of the
Alleghany Mountains, and gave a zealous support to the projects for
opening those communications by canal and railway, which were
required by the rapid increase in the population of the States
bordering on the Ohio river.

J lis sons, Henry S. Garrett and John W. Garrett, shared the
opinions of their father, and, when they entered into business with
him, devoted themselves to the same great objects, while, by their
energy, they enlarged the scope of the business of the firm of Robert
Garrett & Sons. The house became the active correspondents and
representatives of George Peabody & Co., of London, and of other
well known European firms, as well as of many leading mercantile
firms, in the Western States, and held a leading position in the
commerce of the city.

"While thus engaged in active commercial life, Mr. John W.
Garrett was a close observer of the progress of the construction of
the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. This work, although nominally
18

262 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

opened to Wheeling, in 1852, remained embarrassed and practically
ineffective to as late a period as 1856. Mr. Garrett, although
solicited to take part in its affairs at an earlier day, declined to
participate in the contests in which the Company was engaged,
until 1857, when he was induced to attend a meeting of the Stock-
holders, which had been called to consider its affairs. He took an
active pari; in the discussions which arose at that meeting. He
maintained that, although the stock of the Company was owned in
part by the State of Maryland, and in part by the City of Baltimore,
as well as by individual citizens, yet the nature of the ownership of
each proprietor was the same ; that each was alike interested in the
profitable management of the Company, and that a similar obliga-
tion was devolved upon the representatives of each class of propri-
etors. He insisted that it was the duty of every Board of Directors,
by whatsoever constituency its members were elected, to employ to
the best and most profitable advantage the property committed to
its charge ; to maintain a just proportion between the expenses and
revenues of the Company, and to practice the exact and rigid
economy, in dealing with its property, which any just and intelligent
agent would employ in managing property belonging to himself.

These opinions were embodied in resolutions which were adopted
by the stockholders' meeting to which we have alluded. They form
the ground work of that policy which has, after a struggle of thir-
teen years, made the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad m Company an
unrivalled example of successful management.

In October, 1857, the stockholders of the Company, being deter-
mined to give, if possible, effect to the resolutions which they had
adopted, requested Mr. John W. Garrett to accept the office of
Director in the Company. He did not shrink from the performance
of the laborious duty, which he had foreseen would devolve upon
those who undertook to reform the management of the Company
and to conduct it solely as an industrial enterprise.

The embarrassment in which the Company was involved was of the
most serious character ; and, although it had arisen accidentally, was
difficult to remedy. When the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Com-
pany was incorporated, in the year 1827, it was believed that the
sum of three millions of dollars would suffice to construct and equip
the line from Baltimore to the Ohio river. This sum, therefore,
was assumed to be the basis upon which the ratio of representation
in the Board of Direction ought to be computed. The Legislature,
with great wisdom, provided a scale of representation which gave
the management of the road to the individual stockholders,

JOHN W. GARRETT. 263

although they were authorized to subscribe to one-half part only of
the capital stock of the Company. Xo party considerations in-
duced the State to grant the charter authorizing the construction
of the road, and it was wisely determined to place the management
of the property in the hands of those who were personally and per-
manently interested in its productiveness, rather than commit it to
the control of the rapidly-changing representatives of a political
body. But, unhappily, the estimates made of the real cost of the
road were not well founded, and it was soon discovered that a large
increase of the capital stock was necessary to the completion of the
work. The stockholders of the Company were unwilling to sacri-
fice the large sums of money which they had already invested ; the
public clamored for the completion of the road ; the Legislature,
less wise or less liberal than the body by which the charter had
been granted, in giving new aid, and in authorizing it to be given
by the City of Baltimore, insisted upon increased representation
for the State and City; whilst the friends of the railroad company
omitted to reserve any right to increased representation to the
individual stockholders who might agree to increase in equal or
greater ratio their ownership in the stock of the Company. The
result was that, although the new stock subscribed for by the State
and the aid afforded by the City of Baltimore were insufficient to
complete the road, and means were provided by the individual
stockholders, thus making them the owners of the majority in
value of the whole stock in the Company, yet they were, in fact,
represented only by a minority in the Board of Direction — the
State and Cit}T having, together, in the year 1857, eighteen Direc-
tors, while the individual Stockholders, owning a majority of the
stock, could be represented only by twelve Directors.

The evil effects of this condition of affairs were manifest when the
State of Maryland and the City of Baltimore were agreed in politi-
cal opinion. A majority of the Board of Directors became, of course,
a part of a compact political organization, which could, at its plea-
sure, control the management of the Company. When the State of
Maryland and the City of Baltimore disagreed in political opinion,
the plurality of votes in the Board remained with the representa-
tives of individual stockholders ; but, nevertheless, they were unable
to adopt or maintain any policy, without the concurrence of the
political directors, appointed by the State or city, or without the aid
of so many individual members from one or the other of these dele-
gations as would give a majority of votes to the directors represent-
ing the stockholders.

264 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

Those who are familiar with the history of internal improvement
corporations in this country can he at no loss to conjecture the diffi-
culties arising from this circumstance, if no others had existed, when
Mr. Garrett became a member of the Board of Directors in 1857.
The corporation was in hourly danger of becoming one of the prizes
of the political arena. Its resources, though undeveloped, were
large ; its revenues, though meagre in comparison with their present
amount, were far greater than those of any other corporation in the
State, the patronage of the company was very great, and a large
number of men in the city of Baltimore and in the western coun-
ties were in its employment. It was, as has been shown, practically
subject to political control.

It cannot be pretended that the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
Company escaped the ruin, which political management would have
brought upon it, because of the self-denial practiced by any one of
the political parties, which elected the majorities of its Directors.
Each party, as it rose and fell in the State of Maryland, endeavored
to obtain control of the Company, but each was foiled by the inde-
pendent action of some of the political members of the Board, who
deemed it to be their duty to prevent the subordination of the Com-
pany to political rule.

Mr. Garrett, however, plainly perceived that the Company could
not always reckon upon escaping from this danger; and therefore,
from an early day, after his election as a Director, he considered the
necessity of taking such measures as would rescue the Company
from the impending peril, and save the property of the State, city
and individuals alike from great depreciation and loss.

In the autumn of 1858, the measures shadowed forth in the address
and resolutions offered by Mr. Garrett, became the subject of earnest
and excited discussion in the Board of Directors. Four of the
Directors, representing the State and city, having declared their
adherence to the new policy, Mr. Johns Hopkins nominated Mr.
Garrett for the Presidency of the Company, and the controversy
ended by his election to that office.

The practical wisdom of the policy inaugurated by Mr. Garrett,
was shown at the close of his first year of office. Although, owing
to n depression in commercial transactions, the gross receipts of the
Company were in 1859, the first fiscal year of his administration,
less by S'_!7-V.><):5 50 than in 1858, the increase in the aggregate
comparative net gains of the Company — the result of his wise
economy and careful supervision — was $725,325 16. These greatly
increased earnings so improved the financial condition of the Com-

I

JOHN W. GARRETT. 265

pany, that a semi-annual dividend was declared in the Spring of

1859, which was the first of that series of regular dividends, which
has been maintained since that period.

In 1860, the second year of his administration, the results were
still more remarkable. The gross earnings were So, 922, 202 94, an
increase of 8303,584 49 over the preceding year, and of $65,715 15
over the fiscal year of 1858. Notwithstanding this limited improve-
ment in the general traffic, the increase of net profits on the Main
Stem amounted to $980,300 83. The Board announced in its annual
report of that year, that all purchases had been made for cash, and
that the Company was entirely free from floating debt. The general
economical management of the business and finances of the Com-
pany resulted in an aggregate of profits for the fiscal year of
$1,834,569 25, which showed a net gain of more than 18 per cent,
on the capital stock. During this year the extra dividend of a por-
tion of the surplus fund, which had been declared on the 17th of
December, 1856, was finally decided to be legal and valid, and the
interest, which had accumulated upon this dividend, whilst it was
in litigation, viz. from the 1st of June, 1857, to the 1st of June,

1860, $545,950 80, was paid from the earnings of the Company.

On the 17th of November, 1858, the period at which Mr. Garrett
became President of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company, the
market price of its stock was $57, and of the extra dividend,
(amounting to $3,033,060, and then in litigation,) $10 for each $100
thereof, making the actual average market rate at that date $46
per share for the capital stock on the aggregate basis subsequently
established. The extra dividend was declared in certificates of in-
debtedness, which bore interest at six per cent., until converted into
the stock of the Company on the 1st of June, 1862.*

No other proofs were needed to confirm the views of the new
President. The path of success being now clearly marked out, he
addressed himself to the task of providing against those partisan
attempts, which in the existing organization of the road, always
threatened to endanger its profitable usefulness.

When we consider that all men are to-day agreed that it is wise
to separate works of internal improvement from political control,
and that it is an especial cause of public thankfulness that this Cor-
poration has been withdrawn, to a large extent, from such influences,
it is painful to reflect upon the opposition made from 1858 to 1864
to the proposition that the several classes of stockholders in the

* The present price of the stock, as thus augmented, is one hundred and forty
dollars per shaie.

266 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

Company should be allowed to exercise an influence in its manage-
ment proportioned to the extent of their respective interests in the
property. The motives to that opposition were, however, not wholly
political, but arose partly from different impulses. From whatever
cause it sprang, it was strong enough to resist, year after year,
the calm and dispassionate request of the Company that some
mode might be devised by which the impending evil of political
control could certainly be avoided. 'No remedy was devised for
the evil until 1864, when the State, by authorizing its financial offi-
cers to exchange the stock owned by it in the Company in a certain
order and with particular exceptions, necessarily provided for the
relinquishment of a portion of its control. This provision again
engrafted upon the Constitution of 1867, finally secured the stability
of the Company as a purely industrial enterprise.

These changes in the organic law of the State, and in the rela-
tions of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company to the State,
have been the marked incidents in the history of the Corporation.
The work of bringing them about forms a signal labor and success in
the official life of President Garrett. The individual stockholders
of the Company do not even yet exercise a power and influence in
anywise proportioned to the amount of interest owned by them in
the Company ; but they hold, nevertheless, owing to the energy and
success with which Mr. Garrett has upheld their rightful claims,
authority enough to protect the Company against the dangers which
had previously beset its path. On the other hand, Mr. Garrett has
never f iled to acknowledge the cordial and efficient support which
he has received from the stockholder directors, or to recognize the
confidence reposed in him by the great majority of those represent-
ing the State and city, in his long official career.

While engaged in this great struggle to maintain the stability of
the Company as a purely industrial enterprise, Mr. Garrett was not
neglectful of other questions which deeply concerned its interests.
He never forgot the maxims which he had inculcated upon the
stockholders when he first took part in their deliberations. He
maintained always the opinion that the success of every railroad
company was assured if its business concerns were managed with
strict care, skill and integrity. He therefore held every officer and
every employee of the Company to a strict accountability, and ex-
acted from each a rigid economy in the disbursement of the funds
of the Corporation. He insisted upon an ample equipment of the
road, upon completeness in the workshops of the Company, upon
the construction of extensive buildings to meet the varied wants of

JOHN W. GARRETT. 207

the Corporation, and upon the adoption of every improvement
which would facilitate the transportation of freight and assure the
comfort of the passenger.

This sytem of management was in full force and activity when
the great civil war commenced, in April, 18(31. The location of
the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was apparently as unfortunate as
could well be imagined. From Baltimore to the Potomac river,
near Harper's Ferry, it was located within the State of Maryland.
From Harper's Ferry to a point not far from Cumberland, in Mary-
land, it traversed the State of Virginia. From thence it crossed
the mountain region of Maryland ; and again entering the State of
Virginia, crossed that State to Wheeling, while its branch road,
diverging at Grafton, ran thence one hundred and four miles to
Parkersburg, on the Ohio river.

The line of road, therefore, skirted the territory which was des-
tined to be the chief route of armies throughout the war. Owing
to this circumstance the line was broken many times, as armies
advanced and retreated, or as forays were made or repulsed. The
effect of each breaking of the line was to convert the road, appar-
ently, into isolated and separate fragments. But such was the
wonderful energy shown by President Garrett, and infused into the
skilful, and disciplined men under his control, that the practical
utility of the road was never lost. When such disasters occurred,
they had been so far foreseen and provided for, that each severed
section of the road seemed to be possessed of its own organization
and equipment, and able to do the enormous military business en-
trusted to it, as perfectly as if the whole road had remained entire.
]STo incident of the war — no personal, public or local excitement — ■
interfered with the operations of the road, when there was any
possibility of conducting them as usual. The President, cheer-
fully sustained by the majority of his Board, remembered that he
was responsible, primarily, for the safety of the great property which
had been committed to his charge, and he administered it in strict
subordination to those principles which he had prescribed as proper
for the government of the Company at the stockholders' meeting
held in 1857, to which allusion has already been made.

At the conclusion of the war the Company, under the lead of its
President, entered upon a yet more active career of usefulness.
The Parkersburg Branch Railroad was put in thorough order and
its twenty-three tunnels solidly walled and arched, at a cost of one
and a half millions of dollars. The Washington County Branch
Railroad, from Knoxville to Hagerstown, was built; the Central

268 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

Ohio Division, from the Ohio river to Columbus, was reorganized,
and a branch road provided from Newark on the Central Ohio Road,
a distance of one hundred and sixteen miles, to Sandusky, on Lake
Erie. The line of the Marietta and Cincinnati Railroad, worked in
connection with the Baltimore and Ohio Road, was improved ; the
Metropolitan Branch Road, from the Point of Rocks on the main line
to the city of Washington, was placed under construction ; the build-
ing of one great iron bridge over the Ohio river at Parkersburg, and
of another over the same river at Bellaire, was commenced ; and a
provision of means was made to complete fully, within a brief period,
the railroad extending from Pittsburgh, through Connellsville, to
Cumberland, in Maryland, where it will connect with the Baltimore
and Ohio Railroad Company. In addition to these undertakings,
arrangements were also organized to open more direct communica-
tions, through the Valley of Virginia, between the City of Baltimore
and the Southwestern States. These improvements and changes, so
far as completed, have resulted in increasing the aggregate receipts
of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company from the sum of
$4,301,009 27, received during the fiscal year ended September 30th,
1859, to the sum of $10,840,370 48, received during the fiscal year
ended September 30th, 1870. After the payment of all interest and
dividends on capital invested in the road and its branches, the Com-
pany is possessed of surplus profits amounting to $21,375,050 73,
which are undivided, and represented by its proprietorship of
branch and connecting roads and other property. Thus the enor-
mous sum of $19,355,835 66 of net earnings has been accumulated
and invested in works adding largely to the usefulness of the
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company during the administration
of President Garrett.

In addition to the development of the railway enterprises, to
which allusion has been here made, Mr. Garrett has of late years
steadily directed the attention of his Company to the propriety of
organizing steam lines of communication between the chief ports of
Europe and the harbor of Baltimore. The Board over which he
presides has already, by an arrangement with the North German
Lloyd Steam Ship Company, secured a semi-monthly line of first
class steamers between Bremen, Southampton and Baltimore, and
measures have been taken to secure a similar line of steamers
between Liverpool and Baltimore. There can be no question, that
the opening of such lines of steam communication from Baltimore
to Liverpool, Havre, Bremen and Rotterdam, would do much to
increase the trade, and to add to the general prosperity of Baltimore.

JOHN W . GARRETT. 269

Its neighborhood to the cotton and tobacco growing sections of the
United States, the shorter lines of railway, connecting it with the
South, Cincinnati, St. Louis and the South west, and with Chicago
and the Northwest, and its cheaper fuel, give it advantages with
which no other city on the Atlantic coast can profitably com-
pete. It is very fortunate for that community, that the Baltimore
and Ohio Railroad Company, has been willing and able to undertake
the partial support of such lines of ocean travel and traffic. It is no
less fortunate that the people of the State of Maryland, keenly alive
to the importance of exerting every power to promote the welfare of
their chief commercial city, agree thoroughly with the committee
of the House of Commons, of which Lord Stanley, now the Earl of
Derby, was Chairman in 1864. That Committee, when the subject
of the steamboat powers of railway companies was under consider-
ation, did not hesitate to affirm the expediency of permitting
railway companies to carry by sea, as well as by land ; and English
railway companies are now largely engaged in subordinating ocean
traffic and travel, to the uses and developments of their home com-
panies and home ports.

These great results enuring, year by year, most advantageously to
the interest and prosperity of the State of Maryland, and of the city
of Baltimore, have contented both ; and, fully satisfied with the
practical working of the policy, which Mr. Garrett inaugurated,
under so many difficulties, the great majority of the representatives
of both constituencies, have united, year after year, in soliciting him
to remain in the occupation of the Presidency.

In concluding this notice, it is impossible to forbear mention of
the fact that Mr. Garrett has not hesitated to apply his rules of
economical administration to himself, in his official relations to the
Company. He believed that example taught a better lesson than
precept. After he became President, and gave his time so largely to
the duties of his office, the Board of Direction, by a unanimous vote,
increased his salary from $4,000 a year, which was the rate when
he took office, to $10,000 a year. This increase of salary he
declined. It was not to be wondered at, therefore, that he should
refuse to accept the offer of the presidencies of other railway com-
panies, though accompanied — one by the proposition of a salary of
$30,000 per year, and one by a proposal of a salary of $50,000 per
year. He has been content, apparently, to abide with those among
whom his life began. He certainly could propose to himself, no aim
or purpose, more useful than the complete and successful develop-
ment of that entire system of Maryland Railways, with which his

270 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

name has been and must remain inseparably associated. Mr.
. Garrett continues to occupy the office of President of the Baltimore
and Ohio Railroad Company, and is also the head of the firm of
Robert Garrett & Sons, doing business in the City of Baltimore.
Robert Garrett, his father, died greatly respected, in 1857 ; and
Henry S. Garrett, his elder brother, died equally esteemed and
lamented, in the prime of life, in 1867. The two sons of Mr. John
W. Garrett, Robert Garrett and Thomas Harrison Garrett, are now
with their father, the only members of the firm. The house, in its
commercial relations, maintains the unspotted reputation which has
always distinguished it, and continues as it has always, to promote
every railway, steamship or other enterprise, which could add to the
commercial prosperity of the town, as well as to promote those
other objects of public charity, recreation, or instruction, which
excite the interest of the people of Baltimore.

4

■

7-

JAMES SULLIVAN GARY.

James Sullivan Gary, born at Medway, Massachusetts, on Xo-
vember loth, 1808, was descended from John Gary, who with his
brother James, emigrated from Lancashire, England in 1712, and
settled in this country ; James at Marblehead, Massachusetts, and
John in New Hamsphire.

His father having died, leaving a large family dependent on their
own exertions for subsistence, James went to work, at the early age
of five years, in the cotton mill of the Medway Manufacturing Com-
pany, where he remained constantly employed until 1820, acquiring
thus a thorough practical knowledge of the minutest details of the
manufacture which contributed largely to his success in after life.

His opportunities of education were necessarily very limited, but
were improved to their fullest extent, in which he was aided by a
kind and exemplary mother.

Quitting the Medway Company to find more remunerative em-
ployment elsewhere, he was engaged successively in various manu-
facturing establishments, thas enlarging his knowledge of the busi-
ness, and in 1830, by strict economy and incessant industry he had
succeeded in accumulating a few thousand dollars. In this year he
was married to Pamelia, daughter of Deacon Ebenezer Forrest of
Foxboro', Massachusetts, and removed to Mansfield, Connecticut,
where he became a partner in a cotton factory. This first adven-
ture in business on his own account proved unfortunate ; the agents
of the mill became bankrupt, and the capital he had invested was
entirely lost.

After this disaster, Mr. Gary returned to Rhode Island, and for a
number of years had charge of one of the departments of the mills
of the Lonsdale Manufacturing Company. In 1838, he removed
with his family to Maryland, having been engaged to take charge
of one of the departments in the Patuxent Manufacturing Company,
at Laurel, Prinee George county. Here he remained until 1844,
when with three other gentlemen, he established the Ashland Manu-
facturing Company of Baltimore county, and assumed the entire

272 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

control of the mill. This Company was one of the most prosperous
of its kind that was ever inaugurated. While thus engaged he was
invited by the Patuxent Company, who had been greatly impressed
with his energy and administrative ability, to undertake the general
supervision and control of their works, which for some time he did,
without severing his connection with the Ashland Company, but
visiting and directing both. The latter Company continued in
successful operation until 1854, when the buildings and machinery
were destroyed by fire.

A year or so before this occurrence, Air. Gary, in connection with
another gentleman, had established the Alberton Manufacturing
Company, at Elysville, in Howard county, which continued in
operation until 1857, when it shared the fate of many other
business houses in the financial crisis which swept over the
country. A reorganization was effected, however, soon after, aud
operations resumed under the name of the Sagouan Manufacturing
Company.

In 1859, Mr. Gary discovered that through the management of
his associate who controlled the financial operations, the Company
had become involved in outside operations to a large amount, and
with disastrous results. Upon this he arranged to assume the entire
ownership of the establishment, accepting the heavy indebtedness,
which, in the opinion of the creditors stood, but a poor chance of
complete liquidation. Recognizing the fact that Mr. Gary ought
not to be held responsible for what had been done without his
knowledge, they were ready to agree to a very liberal compromise ;
but Mr. Gary declined to take any advantage of their generous
disposition, and only asked time to recover from this unexpected
misfortune, when he would discharge every claim in full.

A settlement on this basis was effected, and Mr. Gary assuming
the entire control of the business, showed that his qualifications for
mercantile aud financial transactions were not inferior to his skill as
a manufacturer. His affairs prospered rapidly; and in half the time
for which he had asked, he was able to pay off the indebtedness of
the concern in full, with interest.

In 1861, he took into partnership his son James Albert Gary,
under the firm name of James S. Gary & Son, with office and
warehouse in Baltimore. In 1863, for the purpose of securing
a wider field of operation in the purchase of cotton and sale of
manufactured goods, a branch house was established in St. Louis,
Missouri, under the style of James S. Gary & Company. Great
prosperity attended these enlargements of the business.

JAMES SULLIVAN GARY. 273

"We puss over the events of the war, merely noting that during
that troublous time Mr. Gary was a sincere and zealous Unionist.

In 1806, the property of the firm at Elysville, commonly known
as Alberton, was considerably damaged by a freshet. It was again
visited in the same manner, and far more disastrously, in the mem-
orable flood of 1868, when the whole valley of the Patapsco was
suddenly swept by a torrent which destroyed many lives and millions
of property. On this occasion Mr. Gary, himself, narrowly escaped ;
but the waters which spared his life, carried destruction to his cher-
ished objects of pride, his little village and the mill. The prospect
was a disheartening one; it would cost much time, great labor, and
many thousands of dollars to repair the devastation of a few hours.

But scarcely had the waters subsided when Mr. Gary set to work
with his usual indomitable courage and will. His first act was to
relieve the immediate necessities of the sufferers around him, and
this done, to repair and rebuild his mill, so as to have it as quickly
as possible in running order. At this task he worked day and
night, until the end was accomplished ; and though the Alberton
Mills had suffered more extensive damage than an)- other factory on
the stream, excepting one which was entirely destroyed, they were
by some weeks the first to resume operations. At this time many
improvements and additions were made, such as Mr. Gary's judg-
ment and experience suggested, and the capacity of the mill was
doubled.

Mr. Gary died rather suddenly, from the effects of a carbuncle, on
March 7th, 1870, aged sixty-two years, and was buried at Alber-
ton, the scene of his many labors, where the busy factory and its
pleasant surroundings remain as monuments to his energy and skill.
He was a man of genial manners and amiable disposition ; kind and
considerate to those in his employment, though strict in his dis-
cipline. He left two children, a son and a daughter; the latter
married to H. B. Holton, and residing at the mills.

Mr. Gary afforded a striking example of what an undaunted
spirit and untiring energy can accomplish in the face of the most
disheartening circumstances. Although past middle age at the time
of the pecuniary difficulties above referred to, he did not despair as
most men would, but casting all thoughts of the past and its gains
and losses to the winds, he addressed himself to the future, and in
an incredibly short space of time, he had not only shaken off the
shackles of debt, but accumulated a large fortune.

The village of Alberton is pleasantly situated on the Patapsco
river, in Howard county, about twelve miles from Baltimore, and on

274 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

the line of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. The population num-
bers some nine hundred, consisting entirely of persons employed in
the mills, and their families. The houses are mostly built of brick
and supplied with gas and water. The village has the advan-
tages of a school and library ; a commodious hall for lectures,
religious services, and Sunday school ; a store for supplies ; a post-
office, and a resident physician. It was Mr. Gary's constant aim to
provide every comfort for his large family of operatives, and to pro-
tect them from all immoral influences. Hence one of his strictest
regulations was that forbidding the sale of intoxicating liquors
in the village.

The mills are built of granite, in a solid and substantial manner.
The machinery, comprising two hundred and twenty-eight looms
and eight thousand spindles, is of the latest and most improved de-
scription, driven by an unfailing water-power. The goods manufac-
tured are various, consisting chiefly of sheetings, drills, osnaburgs,
light duck, denims, awning stripes and warps. Under their various
brands of u Alberton," "Kentucky," u Sagouan," " "Western Star,"
&c, they have all acquired high reputation in the leading markets
of the country. Their production consumes annually about three
thousand bales of cotton.

The precautions against fire in this establishment are especially
ample, and the provisions made for its extinction, of a peculiar kind,
probably superior to those in any mill in the country.

Since Mr. Gary's death the business has been continued in the
same name by his son, like his father, a practical manufacturer.

(sfutyfr *, &ustja)

PHILIP T. GEORGE.

The parents of Philip T. George were both Marylanders, of
English descent. His father, William E. George, came to Baltimore
from Kent county, in the year 1800, and engaged in connection with
the late Philip E. Thomas, in the hardware business. His mother
was the daughter of Jonathan H. Ellicott, who, with his brothers,
came to Maryland from Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia, about
the year 1765, and established mills and iron works on the Patap-
sco, and located themselves on the site formerly called from them,
Ellicott's Mills, now Ellicott City. Their son, Philip T. George,
was born in Baltimore, in 1817.

In his fifteenth year young George entered his father's store,
taking, as was the custom at that time, when men were scarcely
thought duly qualified for business, unless they had risen regularly
from the ranks, the lowest position in the establishment.

Mr. George married Miss Jenkins, of Baltimore county, whose
family, also English, had left the mother country about the middle
of the seventeenth century, on account of the persecution of persons
of the Catholic faith, which they held, and settled in St. Mary
county, whence they subsequently removed to Baltimore county,
where they acquired land by patent in the locality known as Long
Green.

In 1848 Mr. George formed a partnership with T. R. Jenkins, for
the purpose of carrying on the wholesale provision business, as com-
mission merchants and packers and curers of hams and bacon.
This firm, bearing the name of George & Jenkins, is still flourishing.

For three years the new business made but little progress ; but
constant attention and hard work bore their rarely failing fruits,
and success was assured after the fourth year.

About 1850 the planters in the South began to devote their entire
attention to the cultivation of the especial Southern staples, cotton,
sugar, tobacco and rice, to the neglect of grain ; a procedure which
of necessity prevented them from making their own salted provi-
sions. Hence arose a great demand for bacon, pork and lard, and

276 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

made an opening for an active trade in those articles, of which
merchants were quick to avail themselves. As a matter of course
many difficulties had to he overcome in meeting this rapid expan-
sion of business ; and one of the chief was the deficiency of steam-
boat communication with Southern cities. At that time Baltimore
had not an ocean steamer running to a Southern port ; and shippers
had to rely upon transient sailing vessels, making voyages at
irregular intervals. This uncertainty and deficiency of transpor-
tation was long a serious embarrassment to the merchants ; and
by placing Baltimore at a disadvantage in this respect, compared
with some other cities, deprived her to a great extent of the
advantages of her position and market, in competing for the
Southern trade.

With all her wealth and energy, it must be confessed that the
good city has been at times slow to put into effective action lines of
policy, the wisdom of which was patent to all ; and various plans
were broached and partly acted upon for }~ears before sufficient
co-operative force was brought to bear upon any to make it a
decided and permanent success.

At last a number of business men and capitalists, among whom
was Mr. George, determined that this impediment to the increasing
prosperity of Baltimore should no longer exist. One line was
started; then another, which were worked with varying success,
until at present there are now steamers running regularly to Wil-
mington Charleston and Savannah; and steamers make daily trips
to Richmond.

Thus, ample provision has been made for that Southern trade
which is daily increasing in value, which naturally belongs to Balti-
more, and which it is her true policy to attract and foster. Some
idea of its increase under these favoring circumstances may be
formed from the fact that the freight now shipped by way of Nor-
folk alone, exceeds the total shipments to all Southern ports twenty
years ago.

These seaboard communications, co-operating with her great Rail-
road, make Baltimore the grand entrepdt between the Southern
Atlantic States and the great West, and enable her to pour into the
former the breadstufis, the provisions, and other staples furnished
by the prolific soil of the latter. Thus, among the important
branches of traffic to which the city owes its prosperity, the provi-
sion houses occupy a foremost place.

The following statistics will give some idea of the extent of this
trade, and of its importance to the city.

PHILIP T. GEORGE. 277

The sales for the past two years have been in round numbers:

1869.

Pounds.

Barrels.

Value.

47,000,000
6,000,000

18,000

$8,700,000
1,200,000

Pork, -.

550,000

$10,450,000

1870.

Pounds.

Barrels.

Value.

45,000,000
7,000,000

20,000

$6,750,000

1,350,000
500,000

Pork,

*

$8,600,000

There are fourteen houses engaged exclusively in the trade, with
an active capital of §'2,500,000. Of these the house of George &
Jenkins, from the extent of its business, may justly be styled the
head.

In character, Mr. George is peculiarly unassuming, rather
shrinking from prominence than coveting it ; and his talents have
been chiefly devoted to the development and conduct of his business,
or to matters having a direct bearing upon the commercial interests
of the city. In business transactions he exhibits the quick apprecia-
tion and prompt decision which are as necessary to the successful
merchant as the successful general ; but tempered with a courtesy
which wins the esteem of all who come into contact with him. In
private life his amiable and generous disposition have endeared him
to numbers of personal friends.

19

^— — ■ /*. -y

WILLIAM FELL GILES.

William Fell Giles, Judge of the United States District Court,
for the District of Maryland, was born in Harford county, Mary-
land, April 8th, 1807. His ancestors, the Gileses and, on his
mother's side, the Pacas, were among the early settlers of the State.
The latter family were originally Friends who had sought an
asylum from the religious persecutions of the old world in the
colony founded by Lord Baltimore— the home of toleration in a
bigoted age.

Judge Giles secured his early education at Baltimore College ; he
was subsequently a pupil for several years of Dr. Barry, the head
of a once flourishing academy in Baltimore city, but completed his
education at the academy in Bel Air, in his native county, then
under the charge of the Rev. George Morrison, as head master. In
1826, he came to Baltimore to study law, and entered the office of
the late Judge Purviance. In 1829, he was admitted to the bar.
and began the practice of the profession, to which he continued to
devote himself with increasing reputation and success, until his ele-
vation to the bench in 1853. During the whole of his professional
life and since, Judge Giles's residence has been in Baltimore city.

In 1837, being then thirty years of age, he was nominated for the
Legislature by the Democratic party, to whose principles he has
always been attached, and was elected a member of the House of
Delegates from Baltimore city; leading the entire party ticket.
After serving one term in that body, Mr. Giles declined the renomi-
nation which was tendered him, preferring to devote himself to the
practice of his profession ; but his party having been defeated the
following year, in 1839, he was prevailed upon to accept a second
nomination for the Legislature, and was again triumphantly elected.
He could not be induced, however, to become a candidate a third
time, although the nomination was again pressed upon him. It
was impossible, however, for Mr. Giles to withdraw himself alto-
gether from political life. He was a sincere and earnest Democrat,
interested in the success of Democratic principles, which he believed

280 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

to be those of the Constitution, and his character and abilities, as
well as his previous services in the Legislature, caused him to be
recognized as one of the leaders of his party in this State. Conse-
quently, in 1845, he received the Democratic nomination for Con-
gress in Baltimore city, and was elected in a district thought to be
strongly Whig ; and under circumstances which made his success
extremely flattering. His Whig competitor on this occasion was
John P. Kennedy, the accomplished author of " Horseshoe Robin-
son," and "Swallow Barn," as well as of the "Life of William
Wirt," and who was afterwards Secretary of the JSTavy under the
administration of President Fillmore. After serving his full term
in the House of Representatives, at Washington, Mr. Giles declined
a renomination, and returned to his practice. He continued, how-
ever, to take an active interest in the politics of the country and of
the State until July, 1853, when, upon the death of Judge Glenn,
he was appointed by President Pierce, Judge of the District Court
of the United States, which office he now holds. From the. time of
his appointment and entrance upon his judicial duties, Judge Giles
has scrupulously refrained from taking an active part in politics, or
even from attending political meetings. It is his opinion that in
such matters, as in every relation of life, which may by any possi-
bility be supposed to affect his impartiality, or expose him to any
imputation of unfairness, a judge should not only be free from
blame, but above suspicion; and his practice has been strictly in
accord with the rigid rule he has laid down for himself in this
respect. The example is one which it would be well for all who
occupy judicial stations to imitate.

Judge Giles was for more than thirty 3Tears an officer of the
Maryland State Colonization Society, and for more than twenty
years one of the Commissioners of the State of Maryland for remov-
ing its free people of color, such of them as chose to go, with their
own free consent, to Liberia. He was in fact an early, as he has
been a constant friend of the colored race, sympathizing with them
in their efforts for self-improvement, and ready to contribute in any
useful and practical way to the amelioration of their social and
political condition. Inheriting, perhaps, some of the peculiar views
of his Quaker ancestors, in regard to the institution of slavery, he
never owned a slave. While respecting the opinions (as well as the
rights) of others upon this subject, he did not hesitate to express
his own sentiments in an address which lie wrote and published in
behalf of the Colonization cause as early as 1835. He then said,
speaking of the dangers which were inseparable from the continued

WILLIAM FELL GILES. 281

existence of slavery, in language which at this day seems almost
prophetic: " Look abroad over the face of your land, and say, is
there no cloud in the heavens? Is there nothing that tells you that
danger is nigh, and that there is an evil within your borders which
must be removed? Can any one contemplate the scenes which have
lately taken place in Mississippi, and witness the feeling that per-
vades the South, without being convinced that slavery is a great
curse, and that every one who loves his country should do some-
thing to lessen its burden while it hangs over us, and fervently
hope that the day may come when it will no longer rest upon the
land ?"

It may be observed that views similar to those here expressed by
Judge Giles were not uncommon among the public men of the
South at that day, and that in Maryland and Virginia, particularly
after the horrors of the Southampton massacre and the Xat Turner
insurrection in the latter State, there was a very strong feeling in
favor of the policy of gradual emancipation, especially in connection
with the scheme of African colonization. That which changed the
current of popular thought and feeling at the South, and converted
many of the emancipationists of 1835 into strong pro-slavery men,
was doubtless the intemperate zeal, the extreme opinions and still
more the revolutionary conduct of the fanatics at the Xorth.

Besides the address from which we have just quoted, Judge Giles
was the author of many other published addresses and discourses on
various public occasions, which are replete with sound and patriotic
sentiments, and passages of striking force and eloquence. His
speeches in the House of Representatives, in the session of 1845-47,
on the Oregon question, the Wilmot proviso, and the Loan bill,
attracted much attention at the time they were delivered ; as did,
also, his subsequent addresses to his fellow citizens of Baltimore
upon the occasion of the passage of the Compromise measures of
1850. In 1840, Judge Giles delivered the Fourth of July oration
at Fairmount, and in May, 1856, he was selected to pronounce the
address of welcome in the name and behalf of the citizens of Balti-
more, without distinction of party, to President Buchanan, on the
occasion of his public reception in this city. He also delivered the
address at the dedication of the Odd Fellows' Hall in Washington
city, May 25th, 1846, being then a Past Grand of the order. His
lecture on the " Hungarian Revolution," before the Maryland Insti-
tute, in 1851, helped to awaken a spirit of sympathy in this com-
munity for a gallant and struggling people. In 1866, Judge Giles
delivered, by invitation, the annual address before the Maryland

282 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

Historical Society, in which, after reviewing in a spirit of honest
and natural State pride, the Colonial and Revolutionary history of
Maryland, and counting the roll of her departed heroes, he paid an
eloquent tribute to the memory and services of Col. John Eager
Howard, one of the foremost, of that band of heroes, and of whose
life and character he gave an interesting sketch. It is to be re-
gretted that the limits of an article like the present do not admit of
an extract, even, from another address of Judge Giles, which was
delivered in 1854, at the Commencement of the Baltimore High
School, and which is full of sound and useful advice to young men
just setting out in life, and for which class his remarks were spe-
cially intended.

Judge Giles has been upon the bench of the United States District
Court for seventeen years. During the greater portion of that time,
owing to the infirm health of the late lamented Chief Justice Taney,
and the unavoidable absence of Chief Justice Chase, Judge Giles
has sat alone as Judge of the Circuit Court, also, and performed all
the arduous duties and labors of both positions. Latterly, with the
gradual increase of business in the Federal courts, ami especially
since the passage of the Bankrupt Law, these duties have been
exceedingly onerous. It is to the great credit of Judge Giles, that
he has been able to discharge them all, expeditiously, carefully,
faithfully, and to the entire satisfaction of the profession and of the
community. Of course, the Judge's life has been necessarily a very
laborious one, but his industry and perseverance have been equal to
every emergenc}T. Many important questions have necessarily come
before him. Important admiralty and patent cases, and cases
frequently of first impression, presenting questions entirely new,
arising under the acts of Congress, both of a civil and criminal
nature, have been adjudicated in his Court, and his decisions are
always received with the greatest respect, and have been as seldom
reversed, perhaps, as those of any District or Circuit Judge of the
United States. During his long service on the bench, there have
been forty-eight appeals from his decisions taken up to the Supreme
Court. That Court has affirmed him in thirty-five cases ; reversed
him in ten cases, and three appeals were dismissed by the parties
themselves. His opinions, which are orally delivered, are rarely
written out, and it is to be regretted that they have not been
reported and preserved for the guidance and instruction of the
profession and of legal students.

The purity of the private life and character of Judge Giles has
added dignity as well as usefulness to the position which he holds.

WILLIAM FELL GILES. 283

It is very difficult for a bad man to be a good judge, and tbe admin-
istration of justice in the tribunal over which Judge Giles presides
enjoys the advantages of all the weight and authority which attach
to the possession of an unspotted character and name.

The Judge is and has been for many years an Elder in the Presby-
terian Church, having first been chosen to that position in the Second
Presbyterian Church, of which he became a member when the Rev.
Robert J. Breckinridge was its pastor. He remained connected
with that society until 1861, when he became attached to the
Franklin Street Church, of which he was also chosen an Elder.

Judge Giles has been twice married ; first, in 1831, to Miss Sarah
Wilson, daughter of John "Wilson, of Baltimore city ; subsequently,
in 1847, to Miss Catharine Donaldson, daughter of Dr. William
Donaldson. He has living four children — three sons and a daugh-
ter. His eldest son, William F. Giles, Jr., is a member of the Balti-
more Bar, and for several years resided abroad as United States
Consul at Geneva, to which position he was appointed by President
Buchanan.

ROBERT GILMOR

An unusual number of merchants of remarkable energy seem to
have been attracted to Baltimore, whilst as ATet it was a place com-
paratively insignificant in size. The name of Robert Gilmor occurs
among them as deserving of mention. He was born in the town of
Paisley, Scotland, on the 10th November, 1748. He was taken into
business with his father, Gavin Gilmor, at that place, when a very
young man, and being desirous of visiting the Colonies of America,
came out in one of the tobacco ships annually trading to this
country, sailing from Glasgow on the 24th July, 1767, and arriving
at Oxford, in Talbot county, in the month of September following,
bringing with him a shipment of merchandise such as he supposed
would be adapted to the wants of the place of his destination.

The following year he chartered a vessel and returned, stopping
on the voyage at Fayal, and making there some valuable friends.
In 1769, he returned to America, landing at Benedict, on the
Patuxent river. For a number of years he here pursued a profit-
able business, and married the daughter of the Rev. Thomas Airy,
of Dorchester county, Maryland, but the war of the Revolution
occurring, he took a decided part with the country of his adoption,
not, however, going into the regular army, but serving with the
militia of the county (St. Mary). Two young gentlemen living with
him as clerks at the time, Mr. John Eccleston and Mr. John Gale,
went into the regular service and distinguished themselves.

In December, 1778, he determined to remove to Baltimore, then
a small but thriving town, and not long afterwards having con-
siderable transactions with the celebrated house of Samuel Inglis
& Co., of Philadelphia, in which Mr. Robert Morris (the well-known
financier of Congress) and Mr. Thomas Willing, both signers of the
Declaration of Independence, were partners, a mutual confidence
and friendly feeling' growing up between them and the son-in-law
of Mr. Willing, Mr. William Bingham (whose career was also one
of extraordinary success,) and Mr. Gilmor, a copartnership was the

286 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

result ; the purpose of whichwas the transaction of the American
business at Amsterdam, in Holland. The firm was formed under
the name of "Bingham, Inglis & Gilmor." The latter was to reside
abroad and have the active conduct of the business. Accordingly,
on the 27th November, 1782, Robert Gilmor embarked for the place
thus selected for the operations of this concern, and soon after
reached it with his family. Starting under very favorable auspices,
in this association he met with gratifying success, and made mer-
cantile connections of the highest character in all parts of Europe.
Eighteen months later, however, the death of Mr. Inglis brought
the prosperous career thus inaugurated to a sudden close.

Mr. Gilmor declined an offer from Messrs. Morris & Willing for
a renewal of the copartnership with them, but accepted a similar
proposal from William Bingham, and articles of copartnership be-
tween him and the latter were signed in London in the month of
February, 1784. The style of this firm was Robert Gilmor & Co.,
and the place fixed for the transaction of its business was Balti-
more. One of the ships of this firm, the brig Ann, Captain Skinner,
was sent in that year to St. Petersburg for Russia goods, with
which she arrived in America the same year ; she was immediately
dispatched to Batavia, and in both places she was the first vessel
that ever displayed the American stripes. The active member in
the last formed connection, Mr. Gilmor, again returned to Balti-
more, and made it thenceforward his permanent home. Thereafter
he became largely engaged in foreign commerce, principally de-
voting his attention to the East India trade, of which he may be
considered the founder in this country. In this trade he was joined
by the prominent Philadelphia house of Mordecai Lewis & Co.
From it he derived an extensive fortune, and he continued in it
until finally when it was overdone by the number of vessels fitted
out from the Northern ports, and the market inundated with this
description of goods from Boston and Salem.

In 1799, after lasting for fifteen years, his copartnership with Mr.
Bingham was closed, and he took into business with him his two
sons, Robert and William, under the firm of "Robert Gilmor &
Sons," a house which, for the period of some fifty years, ranked
with those of the highest standing and respectability here and
abroad.

Mr. Gilmor died in January, 1822. He had no inclination for
public situations, but was nevertheless called on to fill many im-
portant and influential positions.

ROBERT GIL M OR. 287

It was mainly through his exertions, acting in conjunction with
Mr. Patterson and a few other enterprising merchants of that day
in Baltimore, that the first Bank in Baltimore received its origin.
The Bank of Maryland obtained its charter in 1790, and was the
first institution of the sort chartered south of Philadelphia.

In 1797, Baltimore was raised to the rank of a city by the Legis-
lature of the State, and under the first charter election Mr. Gilmor
was chosen a member of the Second Branch of the City Council,
and by the members of that body made President, which office he
continued to occupy for several terms, assisting materially in or-
ganizing the city government, and in framing many of the early
ordinances.

He was one of the Committee of Merchants of Baltimore, who,
when the French Directory in 1797 refused to treat with our Com-
missioners, Marshal Gerry and Pinckney, and Congress authorized
the capture of vessels belonging to French citizens, offered to fur-
nish two sloops of war for the use of the Government, and was
made Chairman of the Committee which fitted them out.

In 1807, a company was formed to carry on the trade between
India and China, and Baltimore, and from his superior experience in
this branch of commerce, Mr. Gilmor was appointed President.

In 1821, a Chamber of Commerce was established, and of this, he
was called to be the President, a position to which he was unani-
mously re-elected, and, we believe, held at the time of his death, at
the venerable age of seventy-three years.

The community, and a large circle of immediate friends in Avhich
he moved, entertained an exalted opinion of his worth and benevo-
lence in the use of the ample fortune he accumulated, and the
expressions which his death elicited evidence a remarkably high
appreciation of his ability as a merchant. The following quotation
is from a letter written by Mr. Alexander Baring, of the house of
Baring Brothers, the English bankers, afterward Lord Ashburton,
to Robert Gilmor, the son of the subject of this notice.

" I had before learnt the loss of my old and excellent friend, your
worthy father, which I can assure you gave us all sincere concern.
I can well conceive what a loss he must have been to his family ;
as a friend, I owe him great obligations; and as a merchant,
although I have seen and dealt with a great many, I never knew
his superior, if his equal."

After his death, the house of Gilmor converted its business into
that of Bankers, and its reputation was fully maintained by the son

288 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

of the gentleman of whom we have been speaking, also bearing his
name. Mr. Robert Gilmor, the son, died at Baltimore in 1849. He
was a gentleman of very affluent fortune and of refined culture, who
had moved in the most elevated circles, and had accumulated
extensive treasures in literature and art, many of them of peculiar
interest and value.

2—

JOHN S. GITTINGS.

Xorth of the city of Baltimore, and about fifteen miles distant,
in that beautiful valley known as Long Green, some of the earlier
immigrants to Maryland, in search of a rich soil and peaceful skies,
settled with their families. Many of their homesteads remain to
this day, in possession of their descendants, hallowed by association
and endeared by domestic ties ; while, in the eye of the stranger
passing that way, long, low roofs and quaint old gables rise up,
here and there, in the midst of more modern improvements — his-
toric relics, marking the line between the proud present and the
simpler past. Among the first drawn to this spot was Thomas
Gittings, the great-grandfather of John S. Gittings. He came to
Maryland about the year 1084 ; and in 1720 obtained patents for a
large tract of land in the valley, under the then name of Gittings'
Choice — now known as the Long Green Farm. Here he lived and
died ; devising his estate to his son James. The mother of James
was of the Webster family, of Harford county. James Gittings
married the daughter of Dr. George Buchanan, "one of the founders
of Baltimore." The wife of Dr. George Buchanan was Eleanor
Rogers. Dr. Buchanan was the proprietor of Druid Hill, now
Druid Hill Park. He was the father of General Andrew Bu-
chanan, the Lieutenant of the county during the Revolution, and
afterwards Chief Judge of the Court ; also of William Buchanan,
one of the first Registers of Wills of Baltimore county and
city ; grandfather of James M. Buchanan, late United States
Minister to Denmark ; and great-grandfather of Admiral Franklin
Buchanan. James Gittings, junior, the father of John S., married
Harriet Sterrett, daughter of John Sterrett, whose wife was
Deborah Ridgely, daughter of John Ridgely, which latter gentle-
man was the eldest son of the original proprietor of " Hampton," in
Baltimore county. John Ridgely married a daughter of Colonel
Edward Dorsey, of Elkridge. James Gittings, senior, and John
Sterrett, were zealous and active during the Revolution ; they were

290 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

members of the General Assembly of Maryland, at a time when tlie
principal citizens were selected for the public service.

John Sterrett Gittings, the prominent living representative of
the family of his name in Maryland, was born at Long Green in
the house where his grandfather and father were born ; and he is
now the owner of the estate. Standing upon the old threshold,
worn by the feet of three generations of his family, with the graves
of many of them in view, the crowding memories that there over-
whelm him, come with no murmuring voices out of the past,
charging degeneracy as a descendant and son. True to the dictates
of a high nature, ever responsive in breasts from which pride is not
flown, to the just wishes of those who see not, nor hear — yet, speak
down the years with an unmistakable emphasis, he has withheld
the home of his forefathers from the hand of the stranger. Thus,
in the winter of life of one other of the race, fast hastening to join
the band gone before, no ghosts of the departed bemoan, in that
beautiful valley, the homestead and hearthstone deserted.

The childhood of John S. Gittings was passed at Long Green;
and the rudiments of his education he there acquired at a mother's
knee. He further pursued his studies at Dickinson College, Penn-
sylvania. At the age of sixteen he left college, to enter the
counting house of James A. Buchanan. At seventeen he was
made discount clerk in the City Bank. In the spring of 1820 his
father died, and he was recalled to the country, to take charge of
his father's estate. In 1821, he married Eleanor Addison Smith,
daughter of William Rogers Smith, and granddaughter of Cumber-
land Dugan by his first wife, who was a Miss May, of Roxbury,
Massachusetts. In the same year (1821) Mr. Gittings commenced
business in Baltimore as a stock broker. In 1835 he was elected
President of the Chesapeake Bank. In 1836 he was appointed
Commissioner of the Loans for the State of Maryland, which office
he filled until removed through a change in the State's administra-
tion. He was reinstated under Democratic rule, but again removed
under a Republican administration. For many years Mr. Gittings
was a member of the City Council of Baltimore, during which
time he was chairman of the Finance Committee. He was elected
by the City, and also appointed by the State, a Director in the
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company, during the presidency of
Mr. William G. Harrison, and was chairman of the Finance Com-
mittee. Mr. Gittings for two years was President of the Northern
Central Railroad. When Hie State of Maryland was divided into
four Judicial Districts, he was elected Commissioner of Public

JOHN S . G I T T I X G S. 291

Works. In the Democratic State Convention which nominated E.
Louis Lowe for Governor, Mr. Gittings's name was presented as the
choice of Baltimore county.

In 1848 Mr. Gittings lost his wife, who left two children, Eleanor
Addison, who married George II. Williams, a prominent member of
of the bar of Maryland ; and William S. Gittings who died several
years since, leaving two children, a son and a daughter.

In Xovember, 1853, Mr. Gittings married Charlotte Carter Rit-
chie, daughter of the venerable and distinguished Thomas Ritchie,
and granddaughter of Dr. Fouche of Richmond.

In the business world Mr. Gittings is eminent as a banker. He
is now President of the Chesapeake Bank, a position which he has
filled successfully and uninterruptedly, with the confidence of the
public, for thirty-five years. In point of individual wealth he ranks
with millionaires. As a business man, he is a model. Discipline,
fixed, severe, is the basis of his business course. Prompt and
methodical himself, he requires an unremitting exercise of the like
qualities in those about him, so that the machinery of which he is
master and main-spring, moves with the precision of the stroke of
time. In all strictly business transactions, his rule is — payment for
value received — equivalent for equivalent — dollar for dollar ; and to
the uttermost farthing he stands by the spirit and letter of con-
tract ; where differences arise, and other means fail, he invites to
the courts of law and abides their decisions. In the world he is of
the world, and facing its face, he looks out with the eyes, and wears
the armor of a Girard and a Peabody. Just, he observes the prime
law ; true to himself, he is an example to others.

In that more sacred world — the domestic circle — where is cast
the needless outer armor off, he stands revealed iu all the strength
and devotedness of connubial and parental affection — in the pride
of fatherly care — in undiminished solicitude, yet satisfaction — the
faithful sentinel off guard, within the citadel of heart and home.

ROBERT GOODLOE HARPER.

Eobert Goodloe Harper was born near Fredericksburg, Virginia,
in 1765. His parents were poor, having much to struggle with,
and his prospects at the outset of life were anything but flattering.
During his childhood the family removed to Granville, North
Carolina. The war of the Revolution desolated the South, and the
Carolinas were terribly harassed with the presence of the enemy and
Tory partisans. Young Harper had only entered on his fifteenth
year when he joined a troop of horse, and under General Greene
served in the latter part of the Southern campaign. His military
training, however, did not extinguish in him the love of learning,
and he made every exertion to profit by the limited advantages he
had. With diligence and perseverance he qualified for college, and
in 1785 he graduated at Princeton. While there he acted for a
time as tutor to lower classes than his own. After leaving college,
he proceeded to Philadelphia in search of some congenial occupa-
tion, but finding little encouragement there he sailed for Charleston,
South Carolina, and arrived at his destination almost penniless.
As he was standing upon the pier uncertain of the future, he was
accosted by a person who inquired his name, and on learning it
spoke of his own son, who having been at Princeton, had known
Harper there. This person, who proved to be a tavern-keeper,
learning of Harper's needy circumstances, kindly provided for his
wants, and finding that his predilection was for legal studies, intro-
duced him to a lawyer.

Harper now applied himself with great diligence to his studies,
and in one year was prepared to practice in the courts. He
removed into the interior of the State, and soon began to attract
attention as an able and clear headed lawyer. He also busily
employed his pen, and wrote many vigorous articles for the news-
papers on political subjects, chiefly in regard to the change of the
State Constitution. He was elected to the Legislature of South
Carolina, and in 1794 to the National House of Representatives,
serving with distinction until 1801. He was regarded as one of the
20

294 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

leaders of the Federal party, and vigorously supported the adminis-
trations of Washington and Adams. In 1801 he retired from
Congress. He married Catherine, daughter of Charles Carroll, of
Carrollton, and removed to Baltimore. He came to this city with
a distinguished reputation, and he shone conspicuously at the bar of
Baltimore, at the period of its greatest brilliancy, when beside him-
self it was graced by William H. Winder, Luther Martin, Roger B.
Taney, William Wirt, and William Pinkney. He was employed as
counsel for Judge Samuel Chase in his famous trial of impeachment,
in connection with J. Hopkinson and Luther Martin. He partici-
pated in the defence of Baltimore against the attack of the British
in 1814, and during the war attained the rank of Major General.
In 1815, he was elected to the United States Senate, and took an
able and active part in the debates. In 1819-20 he visited Europe
with his family. His own reputation and the celebrity of his
father-in-law gave him ready access to the most illustrious society
of the continent. He returned to Baltimore, resuming the practice
of his profession, and taking a very active interest in the Maryland
Colonization Society. He died very suddenly on the 14th of Janu-
ary, 1825. He had only the day before argued a case in court for
three hours with his usual ability, and gave no sign of the slightest
indisposition up to the very moment of his death. He attended a
large party the evening before his decease, and appeared in most
lively spirits. The succeeding morning after breakfast, while
standing before the fire and reading a newspaper, he fell and
instantly expired. General Harper's mind was of singular clearness,
and his power of statement was considered almost unequalled. His
private virtues endeared him to a wide circle of friends, and his
public services rendered him an honor to the State and to the
nation.

PETER HOFFMAN & SONS.

The City of Baltimore lias been greatly indebted to many German
merchants who have settled here at various periods. Trained at
home in systematic habits of industry, and skilled in all the minutiae
of the counting-house, many of them have become eminent in their
new field of labor, and have left enduring monuments of their
mercantile ability and liberal public spirit. Among these merchants
Peter Hoffman, Senior, the founder of the house of Peter Hoffman
& Sons, and the first of his family who settled in Maryland, deserves
honorable mention. He was born in 1742, near Frankfort-on-the-
Main, and came to America when quite a young man. He pur-
chased a farm near Frederick, Maryland, which he sold in 1776, for
the sum of thirty thousand dollars, and removed with his family to
Baltimore. His family eventually became a large one, consisting of
eight sons and four daughters. His sons were Jacob, Jeremiah,
A\ 'illiam, Peter, George, John, Samuel and David. All of them
became active and prosperous merchants, with the exception of
David, the youngest son. He adopted the profession of law, in
which he acquired reputation; but is more widely known as an
author. Beside various lectures on legal subjects, he published
several literary works, one of them being, " Viator, or a Peep into
my Xote-books ;" issued in Baltimore, in 1841. His most extensive
work, however, is entitled " Chronicles selected from the originals of
Cartaphilus, the Wandering Jew; embracing a period of nearly nine-
teen centuries;"' published in Loudon, 1853-54, in three large octavo
volumes. These " Chronicles" display wide research and much pro-
found learning.

Another one of the family was also distinguished as a man of
letters, Peter Hoffman Cruse. He, with his friend the late John P.
Kennedy, published in 1828, " The Red Book," a series of essays,
giving great promise of future eminence. He was, however, cut off
in the flower of his age, being one of the earliest victims of the
Asiatic cholera, during its first visit to this city in 1832.

Returning to Peter Hoffman, Senior, he soon established himself

296 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

in Baltimore as a dry goods merchant, and in due time formed the
mercantile firm of Peter Hoffman & Sons. He, as the head of the
house, was joined by his sons John, George and Peter, Jr., in Balti-
more, while William and Jeremiah became residents of London,
where for many years they carried on business as American com-
mission merchants. Peter, Senior, lived in Calvert street, south of
Baltimore street, but afterwards built two houses on Baltimore
street, one for a dwelling, the other for a store. The white marble
store of Messrs. Hamilton Easter & Sons now occupies the site of
these buildings. Mr. Hoffman was one of the selectmen of " Balti-
more-Town," before the adoption of the city government, and was
much interested in the various improvements of the town as well as
in its early charitable institutions, of which he was a promoter and
director Among the projects which he labored to effect must be
mentioned the City Spring, in Calvert street, adjoining Saratoga.
He was instrumental in building and laying out this spot, which
although now somewhat shorn of its attractions from the removal
of the Gothic building, with its niche enclosing the Armistead
Monument, for very many years was considered one of the orna-
ments of the city, and was the resort of the best classes of our
citizens. Mr. Hoffman died in 1809, and was buried in the grave
yard attached to the old Otterbine German Church, leaving an ex-
cellent reputation as an upright merchant and Christian man. His
eldest son Jacob, was for a time a sugar refiner in Alexandria,
Virginia, but subsequently retired to a farm in Loudoun county,
where he passed the remainder of his life.

John Hoffman retired from a successful business about the year
1820. He lived in Hanover street, between German and Lombard
streets. This locality is now wholly occupied by large warehouses,
but half a century ago contained some of the best residences ia the
city. He built several warehouses on Charles street, between the
two just named, and four on Lombard street, between Uhler's alley
and Hanover street, which were afterwards sold to John Eager
Howard, who converted them into the present " New Assembly
liooms." Mr. Hoffman died in 1837. He was much esteemed for
his generosity of disposition, and for his lively humor.

His brother George being also prosperous retired about the same
time, 1820. He was prominent as a promoter of many of the lead-
ing enterprises of the city, and was a man of uncommon business
sagacity. He was one of the Baltimore Directors of the Bank of
the United States, in Philadelphia, and was one of the original
friends, organizers and directors, for many years, of the Baltimore

PETER HOFFMAN & S 0 N S . 2(J7

and Ohio Railroad. He lived and died in the house on the corner
of Franklin and Cathedral streets, now occupied by the Maryland
Club. The grounds attached to this fine mansion were beautiful
and very extensive, there being for many years only one other
house that of the late Dr. Thomas Edmoudson, Jr., between them
and the Unitarian Church. The main building of the Maryland
Club fronting on Franklin street, is very much as Mr. Hoffman left
it, and its interior especially is a remarkably beautiful specimen of
domestic architecture.

Peter, Jr., after conducting, under his own name, a successful dry
goods business, retired about the same time with his brothers, in
1821. He was one of the incorporators and trustees of the Balti-
more Orphan Asylum, was a vestryman of St. Paul's Church, and
actively connected with nearly all the public charities of the city,
while his many good deeds in private have otherwise endeared his
memory. He, in connection with his son Samuel Owings Hoffman,
built the present " Law Buildings" on the corner of St. Paul and
Lexington streets: and on the site of the first Athenaeum, which
was totally destroyed by fire in February, 1835 ; such being the
intense severity of the weather that the water froze in the hose of
the lire companies, and rendered unavailing all efforts to save the
building from the flames. Mr. Hoffman died in 1837, in his house
on the corner of St. Paul street, opposite to the Law Buildings.
This house still remains, but is no longer a private residence, having
been converted into offices.

Jeremiah Hoffman, who, with his brother William, had long re-
sided in London where they enjoyed the reputation of a leading
American house, returned to this country and to his native city in
1825. William also returned, and died unmarried in 1828. Jere-
miah bought the house at " Chatsworth" as the neighborhood was
called, and near the intersection of Franklin and Chatsworth streets.
The dwelling house a very elegant and substantial structure, fronts
on Franklin street, with extensive grounds attached, the property
now being in the possession of Daniel B. Banks. From Mr.
Hoff mau's long residence abroad, his tastes were decidedly English,
and during his life these grounds were always kept in the most
excpiisite order, and were laid out in a truly elegant manner. He
died in 1844.

Samuel Hoffman, for some time carried on the dry goods business
in Philadelphia, but eventually formed a connection with his nephew,
Samuel Owings, son of Peter Hoffman, Jr., and conducted a dry
goods jobbing house in Baltimore, under the firm of S. & S. 0.

298 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

Hoffman. Soon after establishing this copartnership, such opportu-
nities in the auction business presented, that they availed themselves
of them and formed the auction house of Hoffman & Co., and occu-
pied the large warehouse on Charles street, formerly used by George
& John Hoffman, and now owned by Mr. James S. Waters, and
fitted up as his book store, the upper floors being employed by Bry-
ant, Stratton & Co.'s Commercial College. Samuel Hoffman took
very high rank as a merchant, and his nephew, Samuel Owings, was
also an excellent business man ; while both were noted for genial
manners and hospitality, and Mr. S. O. Hoffman possessed a highly
cultivated mind and fine taste in art.

S. Owings Hoffman represented the City of Baltimore as Senator
in the State Legislature.

Samuel was for many years a Director in the Baltimore Branch of
the Bank of the United States, and in the Baltimore and Ohio Rail-
road, of which, together with his brother George, he was one of the
original corporators. In the great financial crisis of 1837, when
terror and disasters pervaded all commercial circles, they stepped
manfully forward in aid of the dry goods jobbing houses, not only
with all their public influence, but also with their private means,
rendering assistance to many in need. Some years afterward, in
recognition of his services, he, as the head of the firm and financier,
was presented by a number of the leading merchants of Baltimore,
with an elegant piece of silver plate. He retired from active
business in 1842, and died in 1852, in the house which he had built
nearly twenty years before, opposite to the Unitarian Church, in
Franklin street. Samuel Owings built the large house on the north-
west corner of Madison and Charles streets, and there died in 1861.

All of the children of Peter Hoffman, Sr., have passed away, pre-
senting the uncommon circumstance of seven of the sons attaining
wrealth and distinction as merchants, and contributing materially to
the commercial eminence and prosperity of Baltimore.

JOHNS HOPKINS.

Johns Hopkins was born in Anne Arundel county, Maryland, on
May 19th, 1795. He was the son of Samuel Hopkins, of Anne
Arundel comity, and of Hannah Janney Hopkins, of Loudoun
comity, in the State of Virginia,

Samuel Hopkins, his father, was descended from an English
Quaker family of respectability and substance. Soon after the
colonization of Maryland, six brothers of that family determined
to emigrate to America, On reaching this country, two of these
brothers agreed to make their home in New England, and four,
journeying to Maryland, selected large tracts of land, situated on
Deer Creek, in Harford county, Maryland, in Baltimore county,
near Govanstown, and at the head of South River, in Anne Arun-
del county, Maryland.

Many of the descendants of the two brothers who settled in New
England reside in the State of Rhode Island, and are persons of
well-known character, wealth and influence. The descendants of
the four brothers who made their home in Maryland are yet more
numerous. The members of the family have, in successive genera-
tions, with few exceptions, adhered to the Society of Friends.

Johns Hopkins, the grandfather of the gentleman who is the sub-
ject of this notice, was the descendant of that one of the brothers,
emigrating from England, who established his home upon South
River, in Anne Arundel comity. He inherited the considerable
landed estate acquired by his ancestor in that neighborhood, and
cultivated his property with the aid of some hundred negroes, of
whom he became possessed by bequest from his parents and by mar-
riage. He had eleven children. At that period slave labor was
essential to profitable farming in the colony, and the industry and
enterprise of Mr. Hopkins were taxed by the necessity of providing
for the support of so large a family. But doubts arose in his mind
as to the rightfulness of keeping negroes in bondage ; and he, there-
fore, gave freedom to all his slaves, cultivating his estate afterwards

300 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

by his own labor, aided by the toil of his sons and by such free labor
as could then be procured.

His son, Samuel Hopkins, was much beloved for his popular and
social manners. He married in early life Hannah Janney, a lady
belonging to a wealthy and highly respected family, which had long
been established in the valley of Virginia, where many descended
from it yet remain. She was a woman of great intelligence and
force of character, and exercised marked influence not only in the
social circle by which she was surrounded, but also in the general
Society of Friends, of which she was a member.

Soon after his father's death, Samuel Hopkins became, by pur-
chase from the other children, the sole owner of the property on
which his father had resided, and, in his turn, cultivated the estate
with the assistance of his sons.

In 1812, however, Johns Hopkins, the subject of this notice, who
was one of these sons, being then in the eighteenth year of his age,
showed a strong disposition to engage in mercantile life, and was,
therefore, allowed to enter the counting room of Gerard T. Hopkins,
his uncle, who was then conducting a wholesale grocery business in
the city of Baltimore. Johns Hopkins brought to this new occupa-
tion the habits of industry and intelligent observation, which he had
developed upon his father's farm, and entered upon its duties with
an energy to which his former life had given no outlet. He
acquired rapidly a knowledge of all the details of the branch of
trade in which he was engaged, and, in 1819, with the consent of
his uncle, formed a partnership with Benjamin P. Moore, for the
purpose of carrying on the wholesale grocery business, under the
name of Hopkins & Moore.

The new firm had no money capital whatever. It began business,
upon the credit which the energy of Johns Hopkins had already
created, and with no other assured aid, except certain endorsements,
for purchases of merchandise, with which Gerard T. Hopkins obliged
the firm. In 1822, the partnership was dissolved ; and Johns
Hopkins, confident in his individual resources, called to his aid two
younger brothers, both under age, gave them an interest in his
business, and inaugurated a new firm under the style of Hopkins &
Brothers.

The business of this house was rapidly developed by the great
personal energy of the senior and principal partner. Its trade with
the valley of Virginia, where Mr. Hopkins had, as has been said,
many family connections, was very large, and it rapidly extended

JOHNS HOPKINS. 301

through other parts of the State of Virginia, and into adjoining
States.

Mr. Hopkins remained connected with this firm for twenty-five
years. During all this period, which was marked by many periods
of general financial embarrassment, the house of Hopkins & Brothers
maintained the highest credit. His means had rapidly increased,
and the business proved capable of producing even greater results;
but he determined to lessen the amount of personal labor, devolving
upon him, and after the active toil of a quarter of a century, relin-
quished the business to his brothers and to two of his clerks.

He did not, however, abandon his interest in commercial affairs.
After the resignation of the late James Swan, who had for many
years filled with credit the office of President of the Merchants
Bank of Baltimore, Mr. Hopkins was elected his successor, and has
ever since discharged the duties of that office, with great ability and
energy. He has been always a close observer of the conduct, char-
acter and intelligence of the young men, who were entering business
life in the city of Baltimore, and he has, uniformly, exercised his
power, as a bank officer, in such manner as to extend assistance to
those, who, by their diligence, good sense and integrity, attracted
his attention and esteem, even in cases where he had no personal
acquaintance with them. It is well known indeed, that many
young merchants, to whom liberal discounts were extended, during
periods of commercial embarrassment, have learned for the first
time, when their obligations were paid at bank, that they were
indebted for the discounts, which they had received, to the volun-
tary and unsolicited endorsement of their paper by Johns Hopkins
himself, acting as a member of the Board, to which it had been
submitted for consideration.

Mr. Hopkins had been, from an early period in its history, a close
observer of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. He knew thoroughly
the resources of the country through which it was proposed to
construct it, and was deeply interested in promoting the progress
of the work, first to the coal fields of the Alleghany region, and then
to the Ohio river. In the year 1847, being already holder of a large
amount of the stock of the Company, he was induced to become a
Director, and thenceforth took an active part in its management.
In December, 1855, he was appointed Chairman of the Finance
Committee of the Company, and he has continued to perform the
duties of that important office until the present time, contributing
greatly to the success of the Company, by his firmness, sagacity and
self-devotion to its interests.

302 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

It will be remembered, hereafter, to his great honor, that when,
prior to 1857, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company, embar-
rassed by the monetary difficulties of the country, and by internal
dissensions, was unable to provide, in due season, for the heavy obli-
gations imposed upon it by the extension of the road, Mr. Hopkins
came voluntarily forward, and, by endorsing the notes of the Com-
pany, to a very large amount, pledged his private fortune to its
support, and thus greatly contributed to the maintenance of the
credit of the Company, and ensured the completion and perfect
success of the road.

Mr. Hopkins has added, year by year, to his ownership of the
stock of the Company, and is now possessed of more than fifteen
thousand shares, representing a par value of one million five hun-
dred thousand dollars, and an actual market value of more than
two millions of dollars. He holds an interest in the Company, less
only in amount than that owned by the State of Maryland and
by the city of Baltimore ; and both the State and city have largely
profited by the sagacity and zeal with which he has devoted himself
to the promotion of the true interests of the Company.

The attention of Mr. Hopkins, however, since his retirement
from the firm of Hopkins & Brothers, has not been confined to the
interests of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company only. He
has, throughout his business life, entertained a firm confidence in
the increasing welfare and prosperity of the city of Baltimore. He
has, therefore, not only used every effort to open new channels of
commercial intercourse between that city and other sections of the
United States, but he has endeavored also to employ his means in
such manner as would best enable the merchants of the city to
accommodate and retain its growing trade. With this purpose he
became the owner of squares and parcels of ground situated in
localities convenient for the transaction of business, but which
were useless, because of the mean, or inadequate, buildings erected
upon them. Upon these squares and lots he has built a large
number of substantial warehouses, and has thus centered certain
branches of important trade in proper and convenient localities,
and supplied them with ample room and accommodation. He has
also been at the pains to provide massive buildings, in proper
locations, capable of greater ornament than the warehouses he has
erected, for the use of those mercantile corporations and agencies
which grow and increase with the needs of a commercial city.

By providing full scope for the transaction of an important part
of the business of the city, and by performing this task in a

JOHNS HOPKINS. 303

manner which adds largely not only to the taxable wealth of the
community, but to its commercial importance, Mr. Hopkins has
greatly contributed to the prosperity of the city of Baltimore.
He has especially supplied, for many years, ample occupation to
many mechanics, who were employed upon his improvements. To
such work and to the cure of his property in the Baltimore and
Ohio Railroad Company, Mr. Hopkins mainly devotes his time.
Since his connection with the Company first commenced, the stock
has greatly enhanced in value, but he has not, for this reason, sought
to realize, by sale, any profit upon his original investments. He
has full confidence in the permanent value of the stock itself, and
has, it is believed, set apart the whole fund for the establishment
and support of a University, to be located upon his fine estate at
" Clifton," containing nearly four hundred acres of land, and
situated about one mile from the city of Baltimore, on the Har-
ford road.

This University, bearing his name, has been already fully or-
ganized by the appointment of trustees, under the provisions of a
general law of this State; and Mr. Hopkins, having already pro-
vided for the creation of free scholarships, by which poor and
deserving students from the States of Maryland and Virginia shall
be maintained, is occupied in maturing, during his lifetime, the
details of this great work.

This estate at Clifton will afford ample room, not only for the
accommodation of the professors and students attached to the Uni-
versity, but also space for the establishment of a Botanical and
Agricultural school upon an extended scale. The buildings of the
University will be surrounded by pleasure grounds as ample as the
trustees may see fit to maintain ; and if they part at any time with
outlying portions of the land, they will be able to do it upon terms
which will protect the grounds and property of the University from
intrusion, annoyance and injury.

In the same spirit he has set aside property to the value of more
than two millions and a half of dollars to be appropriated to the
erection of a great hospital upon the site of the present Maryland
Hospital, which, with the grounds around it, have been purchased
by him for that purpose from the trustees of the Maryland Hospital.

The Corporation bearing his name, which he intends shall ad-
minister this great charity, has been fully organized; and it is
understood that, as soon as the streets and alley-ways, as yet un-
opened, which might intersect the property, are permanently closed,
by competent authority, the trustees of the new hospital will be

304 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

enabled to commence buildings which will be a splendid and en-
during monument to their founder, and will prove an incalculable
blessing to the poor of the community in which they will be
located.

The new hospital will be possessed of separate buildings for the
reception of the sick of different sexes, and also of separate build-
ings for the reception of the sick of different colors, and will be
dedicated to the cure of bodily injuries and non-contagious diseases.
It will be placed under the care of the ablest surgeons and physi-
cians, and its endowment will supply ample funds for its support.
It is, therefore, reasonably expected by its founder that the people
of the State and city will co-operate earnestly with him in pro-
moting its early and secure establishment.

Mr. Hopkins has also provided for the erection of an asylum for
the education and maintenance of orphan colored children, in a
location separate and distinct from the site of the hospital. This
asylum will be placed under the care and management of the trus-
tees of "The Johns Hopkins Hospital."

Mr. Hopkins is awaiting with anxiety the arrival of the time
when he may regard the admirable site which he has selected for
his hospital as secured to its public uses by proper legislation, in
order that he may see that work completed during his life, and may
be able to assure to the sick and disabled in the community a place
of refuge, easy of access, healthful in air, with pleasant outlooks
over the city, harbor and river, and with ample grounds, in which
the feeble and convalescent may find solace and regain strength.

JOHN EAGER HOWARD.

The name of Howard is probably more widely connected with
the annals of Baltimore, from the very foundation of the city, than
any other. Joshua Howard, the grandfather of the subject of this
notice, was an Englishman, and came to America in 1685-6. He
obtained the grant of a large tract of land in Baltimore County, not
far from the present city of Baltimore, and his grandson, John
Eager, son of Cornelius Howard, was born June 4th, 1752. Young
Howard was brought up on his family estate, but without regard
to any particular profession ; but on attaining manhood the difficul-
ties with the mother country warmly enlisted his patriotic feelings.
At the outbreak of the Revolution a committee of safety was estab-
lished in Baltimore-Town, and having expressed his desire of serving
in a military capacity, one of the committee offered to procure him
the commission of Colonel. Unwilling to accept so responsible a
post, he chose that of Captain, which was offered him on the pro-
vision of raising thirty men. In two days the requisite number was
obtained, and Captain Howard joined a regiment, commanded by
Colonel J. Carvil Hall. They marched at once to join the army,
and Captain Howard participated in the battle of White Plains,
about twenty-five miles north of New York ; and served until
December, 1776, when his corps was disbanded. He immediately
rejoined the army as Major, and the winter of 1776-77 was passed
industriously in raising troops. In April of that year he marched
with part of his regiment to Rocky Hill, near Princeton, New
Jersey, where he remained until July, when, on the death of his
father, he was sent home on recruiting service. He rejoined the
army just after the battle of Brandy wine, and displayed signal
courage and ability soon afterward in the battle of Germantown,
It is a romantic incident in his career, that " Chew's House," a for-
tified house, occupied by the British, belonged to Mr. Benjamin
Chew, of Philadelphia, the father of the lady whom he afterward
married, he having first seen the mansion during the battle. He
also participated in the action at Monmouth.

306 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

On the 1st of June, 1779, he was commissioned Lieutenant-
Colonel of the Fifth Maryland regiment, in the army of the United
States. In April, 1780, the Maryland aud Delaware troops, about
fourteen hundred infantry, were detached from the army for the
purpose of relieving Charleston, which had been besieged by the
British under Clinton. They embarked from Elk River, at the
head of the Chesapeake, on May 3d, but did not reach Petersburg,
on their way South, until June, too late for any succor to Charles-
ton, which capitulated on May 12th. The disastrous battle of
Camden, where Gates Avas so signally defeated, followed in July.
Colonel Howard bore himself bravely in that unfortunate affair ;
but, overpowered by numbers, was forced to retreat into the
swamps, keeping a small force together, and being joined at
Charlotte, sixty miles off, by other officers and men. In December,
General Greene arrived and took command, and under his able
leadership affairs were ere long changed for the better. A detach-
ment was placed under Morgan, and in it Lieutenant-Colonel
Howard had command of four hundred Continental infantry and
two companies of Virginia militia. The eventful battle of Cowpens
soon followed, in which the British were completely defeated. For
Howard's gallantry in this action he was voted a medal by Con-
gress, in company with Morgan and William Augustine Washing-
ton. In the succeeding battles of Guilford Court House and
Eutaw, he again reudered most signal service, and in the latter
engagement was severely wounded. Several of our principal streets
commemorate these victories of the Revolution ; Howard street
being named in honor of Colonel Howard, and Eutaw for the action
in which he gained such celebrity. Cowpens' alley, joining these
two streets, modestty reminds of another successful action. The
bravery of the Maryland troops, in these and other encounters,
under the leadership of Colonels Howard, Williams and other
officers, won the highest encomiums from General Greene, and on
Howard's return to Maryland, as soon as his wound permitted him
to travel, he bore with him the strongest assurances of his com-
mander's regard.

At the conclusion of the war, Colonel Howard married Miss
Chew, of Philadelphia, at whose summer residence in Germantown
he found a much more kindly welcome than had rained from
British bullets in the heat of action. In November, 1788, he was
chosen the Oovernor of Maryland for three years, and during that
period the Federal union was adopted, which measure the Governor
did all in his power to support. In 17U4, he was appointed Major-

JOHN EAGER HOWARD. 307

General of militia, but declined to accept ; and in November, 1795,
he was invited by General Washington to accept a seat in his
Cabinet. ' For such a position, however, he had no inclination, and
though gratified at this proof of Washington's regard, he saw fit to
decline the offer. Three years later, when the attitude of France
became such that it was feared wre should be embroiled in a war
with that power, and that Washington would again be called into
the field as commander-in-chief, Colonel Howard's name was one of
those whom he intended to select for the position of .Brigadier-Gen-
eral. Fortunately, however, a war was averted, and in 1803,
Colonel Howard finally withdrew from public life, spending the
remainder of his life in the management of his very large estate,
exercising a liberal hospitality, and taking great interest in the
prosperity and growth of Baltimore. In 1814, when the city was
threatened by the British, among other arms of defence, a troop of
elderly men was raised, with Colonel Howard at its head, and
although this body was not intended to act outside the limits of the
city, Colonel Howard had resolved to offer his personal services in
the expected battle. That of North Point, however, took place a
day sooner than he anticipated. In the excitement and alarm con-
sequent on the capture of Washington, and the destruction of the
public buildings, a timid suggestion was made that Baltimore, in
order to be saved from such a calamity had better capitulate. This
proposition the old patriot scouted with indignant scorn. " I have,"
said Colonel Howard, " as much property at stake as most persons,
and I have four sons in the field, but sooner would I see my sons
wTeltering in their blood, and my property reduced to ashes, than so
far disgrace the country." Honored and beloved, Colonel Howard
died on the 12th of October, 1827, he having lost several years
before his eldest son, his eldest daughter, and his wife, while his
own health had been impaired for some years, mainly in con-
sequence of his wound received at Eutaw.

The noble mansion which he built, at the time of its erection in
the midst of an extensive estate, always known as Howard's Park,
still exists (1870), but must probably ere very long go down before
the inevitable growth of the city. The line of Calvert street, north
of Eager street, will pass directly through the house. The north
wing was built in 1786, and the main building and south wing a
few years later. Of the hundreds of acres originally forming
" Howard's Park," stretching from Centre street north to the
present parallels of Hoffman street, and eastward from Howard
street to Jones's Falls, only five or six acres now remain to encircle

308 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

" Belvidere," " the proper house and home" designed by Colonel
Howard as his principal residence at the close of the Revolutionary
"War. In place of the noble oaks and evergreens which hid from the
sight the roofs and steeples of the city, and the lawns and dells and
thickets familiar to our childhood, we tread now through street
after street tilled with elegant private residences, churches and
halls. The writer of this sketch, although very young at the time,
perfectly remembers in 1830 the raising of the statue which crowns
the Washington monument. He saw it from one of the houses on
Hamilton street in the rear of the present Maryland Club House,
and some idea of the growth of the city since then may be formed,
from the writer's having enjoyed an uninterrupted view of the
elevation of the statue from this house. ISTot a single building
existed north of Hamilton street, excepting a few humble tenements
on the line of Centre street. What is now Mount Vernon Place
was then only planted with huge forest trees, and a rough, uneven
country road led from the foot of the Monument to Charles street.
In 1822, William Wirt, writing to his daughter, and speaking of
the monument, says : it " is rendered indescribably striking and
interesting from the touching solitude of the scene from which it
lifts its head." " Howard's Park" is now only a memory of the
past, and " Belvidere" exhibits marks of decay. But if we must
regret the beautiful forest, we can still take pride in the wealth and
power of the city which has supplanted it ; and rejoice that the
stately home, so long the chosen seat of historic fame and of refined
hospitality, will not lose its influence, even with its existence.

JESSE HUNT.

The ancestors of Jesse Hunt, were among the early settlers of
Calvert county, Maryland. In the year 1760, Job Hunt, the
father of the subject of this sketch, with his brothers, Samuel and
Phineas, removed from the old homestead to a tract of land in
Baltimore county, which had been taken up under patent some
twenty years before, in what was then known as " The Forest,"
and in what is now known as the Green Spring Valley which was
situated, and settled on adjoining farms. One of these farms
remains now in Mr. Hunt's possession.

In 1771, Mr. Job Hunt married Margaret, daughter of Samuel
Hopkins, of a numerous family of the name, for the most part
landed proprietors in Baltimore county, in the tract of country near
the present Govanstown. A numerous family was the result of this
union, of whom Jesse, the youngest, was boru on July 3d, 1793.
In February following, his mother died, much regretted by a large
circle of friends, for her amiable and exemplary character.

Nothing can ever entirely replace the loss of a mother's care and
guidance during childhood ; but so far as this was possible, the
mother's place was supplied by the watchfulness and tender solici-
tude of a sister, under whose care, combined with that of an upright
and judicious father, he spent the first years of his life.

Arrived at the years which made it necessary for him to choose a
vocation in life, his tastes inclined him to a mechanical calling, and
in 1808, he became an apprentice in the house of William and
Richard Hall, saddlers, in Baltimore. The death of his father took
place in the following year. Thus his youthful son was deprived of
a truly excellent father, and society of a man of strict integrity and
hio-h souled honor.

In June, 1812, came the declaration of war with England, and
young Hunt, though still an apprentice, took an active part in
raising a company, known as the Washington Blues, attached to
the 5th regiment of infantry, of which George H. Steuart, was
chosen .Captain. This company bore an honorable part in the
2L

310 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

defence of the city at the battle of ISTorth Point, September 1 2th,
1814. Shortly afterwards Mr. Hunt was elected to a lieutenancy,
which post he filled until 1822. On his resignation in that year,
his former captain, then colonel of the regiment, wrote him a letter
testifying in high terms to his conduct as soldier and officer.

In 1815, Mr. Hunt commenced business on his own account, and
afterwards became the successor of his former employers. In the
same year he married Margaret, daughter of Leonard Yundt, for
many years one of the proprietors of the Baltimore Federal Gazette.
This marriage, which proved an eminently happy one, was the result
of an affection dating back to childhood.

Mr. Hunt continued to conduct his business with a fair share of
success, and enjoyed a moderate prosperity, thanks to his industry
and economy and the assistance of his estimable wife. He took no
active part in political matters, until the great contest between
Jackson and Adams, in the year 1828, owing to the momentous
character of the questions at issue, roused even the most indifferent.
Iuto this contest Mr. Hunt entered warmly, and was an active
supporter of General Jackson, whose administration he continued
to support to its close. In 1829, 1830 and 1831, successively, he
was unanimously nominated by a convention of the Jackson party
as candidate for a seat in the Maryland House of Delegates ; and on
each occasion he was returned by a handsome majority. At that
time Baltimore was represented in the House by only two delegates.

Mr. Hunt made no pretensions to oratory, and was known rather
as an active working member than as a public speaker, but he
occasionally took part in the debates on many of the leading
questions before the House. One of these affected the interests of
the public schools of the city, then in their infancy, under the
following circumstances. A former Legislature had passed an Act
authorizing the city to sell the properly known as the " old Aims-
House," near the intersection of Madison and Eutaw streets, and
appropriate the proceeds to the Public School Fund. The Senate
passed a bill repealing this Act, and directing the appropriation of
the money to the House of Refuge, and sent it to the House. Mr.
Hunt resisted this bill, with his utmost ability in the House,
arguing that it was both unjust and inexpedient ; that while the
value of such an institution as the House of Refuge could not be
denied, the Public Schools had not only the prior claim, but a claim
of far higher importance. The bill, notwithstanding the urgency of
the Senate, was finally defeated.

In 1832, Mr. Hunt was nominated by a convention of the Jackson

JESSE HUNT. 311

party, then beginning to be known as the Democratic party, as a
candidate for the Mayoralty. From the time of the great political
contest of 1824, the Jackson party comprised a large majority of the
voters of Baltimore, and yet no decided Jackson man had tilled the
office of Mayor. It was a sort of neutrality, which operated
adversely to the majority of voters, who saw nearly all the muni-
cipal offices filled by their political opponents. In accepting the
nomination, Mr. Hunt refused to pledge himself to any specific line
of conduct, in regard to the retention or removal of officers, deter-
mining to be guided solely by what he believed to be the best in-
terests of the city ; and this determination, to the best of his ability,
he carried out from the time of his election, removing no officer
except where he was convinced that the public welfare required it,
filling such vacancies with his political friends. In pursuing this
course, however, he did not escape the noisy censure of those who
considered that all public offices, were the legitimate prizes of the
victorious party.

Upon his re-election in 1834, these clamors were revived ; but the
Mayor was firmly supported by the great majority of the Demo-
cratic party, as well as by a number of the more moderate among
the Whigs, who had assumed the name of the Workingmen's party.
At this election strong attempts were made to injure Mr. Hunt's
popularity, by dwelling upon and misrepresenting his connection
with the Bank of Maryland, then a subject of extreme popular
odium. As the circumstances of this affair, have become a feature
of the history of the city, and for a long time were used to blacken
her good fame, we will give, as briefly as possible, some account of it.

The Bank of Maryland suspended payments about six months
before the election we have just referred to. As it had enjoyed
great popularity, and the deposits were heavy, the failure gave rise
to great distress, excitement and indignation. Popular meetings
were held; it was alleged that the Bank had been managed in the
interests of a few influential citizens, to whom the smaller stock-
holders and depositors had been sacrificed. Some of the parties
accused, dreading an outbreak of popular fury, endeavored to shift
the odium upon others, and mutual recriminations were the conse-
quence. Pamphlets and placards abouuded, and the temper of the
sufferers urged on by that reckless part of the community that
delights in disturbance, gradually approached the boiling point.

Every means was used to turn the tide of this feeling against Mr.
Hunt, at the election. He had injudiciously allowed himself to be

312 BIOGRAPHTCAL SKETCHES.

chosen a Director of the Bank — a merely nominal office, as it was
well known that the ownership of the Bank was held by a few indi-
viduals— but this was thought sufficient reason for identifying him
with the subject of popular hatred. He succeeded, however,- in
proving that so far from having reaped any profit from the Bank,
he was a loser by it, being its creditor to a considerable amount.

After the election, the feverish state of excitement still continued.
The financial condition of the whole country had been much dis-
turbed by various causes; and the opponents of the administration
fiercely assailed President Jackson for the course he pursued, espe-
cially in regard to his firmness in maintaining that gold and silver
were the only constitutional currency of the country. The failure of
the Bank of Maryland was followed by that of a number of fraudu-
lent institutions, assuming the name of Savings Banks, spreading
misery and ruin widely around, especially among the working
classes, who saw the little provision they had made for sickness or
old age, thus suddenly swept away. The losses by these failures
were far heavier, and affected a class of persons who suffered far
more than the losers by the Bank of Maryland ; who endeavored,
and in part succeeded, in screening themselves by turning the
popular fury against the Bank of Maryland, as the real cause of
all the mischief. The law-suits to which the settlement of the
affairs of the Bank of Maryland gave rise, afforded further oppor-
tunities for stimulating the excitement ; and the charges and
counter-charges of the parties in controversy grew fiercer than ever.

In August, 1835, it was evident that popular irritation was on
the point of some violent outbreak. Nocturnal meetings were held,
which, however, the Mayor, aided by the day police, only about
twenty strong, the night-watch, and a few resolute volunteers,
succeeded for a time in dispersing. But the determination to
avenge their wrongs against the real or supposed authors of them,
it was plain to see, had in nowise Jjeen shaken; and the Mayor, who
saw the imminence of the danger, was indefatigable in his attempts
to rouse the law-abiding citizens to take effective steps for pre-
serving the peace of the city. His efforts, however, were nearly
ineffectual; the great mass of the citizens exhibiting an apathy
which could only be explained by ignorance of the real extent of
the peril, and refusing to aid the civil authorities in the forcible
preservation of the peace. At last the Mayor led a forlorn hope,
consisting of bis handful of police, and a few citizens whom he
induced to assist him against a large gathering of riotously disposed

JESSE HUNT. 313

persons in Monument Square. Their efforts to disperse the mob,
though fearless, were unavailing. There was no destruction of
property; but the persons arrested were immediately rescued by
force, and the city authorities openly defied.

The civil authorities thus finding themselves not strong enough to
cope with the danger, an order was issued calling out the uniformed
volunteer Light Brigade, at the time under the command of Col.
Benjamin C. Howard. At ten o'clock on the following morning Col.
Howard reported to the Mayor that he had issued orders for the
assembling of the Brigade at eight o'clock, but that so far only three
men had presented themselves for duty. He continued his efforts
until five in the afternoon, with the result of obtaining a doubtful
promise from about twenty men. Convinced now that they had
nothing to fear from the military, the mob proceeded to execute
their vengeance by assailing the houses of several of the citizens
most obnoxious to them, destroying the furniture and carrying off:
the valuable articles which the occupants in hasty retreat had left
behind.

The violence of the mob, and the danger of its resorting to still
more deplorable extremities, had the effect of rousing from their
culpable apathy a large number of the citizens, who had hitherto
abstained from any active support of the city authorities, and a
genuine determination to restore order at any cost was manifested.
Even some of those who had previously sided with the mob, now
arrayed themselves on the side of order, Avhether from regret at
their excesses, or the desire to elude punishment, may be a matter
of doubt.

The assault on the Mayor, and the charges of complicity with the
Bank authorities, still continued, and his continuance in office was
alleged to be the main cause of popular irritation. Mr. Hunt,
convinced that his influence over the people was greatly impaired,
and unwilling to give rise for any pretext, however unjust,
that impeded the return to order, tendered his resignation. The
City Council, in accepting it, unanimously passed the following
resolution:

" Resolved, By both branches of the City Council of Baltimore,
that, while we regret that the measures adopted by Jesse Hunt,
Esq., late Mayor of the city, did not prove effectual in suppressing
the riots which have disturbed the order and destroyed the peace
and quiet of the community, wre entertain the fullest confidence in
his integrity and fidelity, and hereby tender to him the thanks of

314 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

the corporation, for the honest and unceasing exertions made by
him to restore peace to the city and supremacy to the laws.

By order:

HENRY W. GRAY,

Assistant Clerk to 1st Branch C. C.

IT. Myers,

PresH pro tern. 1st Branch.

F. Lucas, Jr.,

PresH 2d Branch:1

Public meetings were also held, at which resolutions were passed
expressive of undiminished confidence in the late Mayor, and at one
of these he was nominated for re-election, which gratifying evidence
of their confidence he, however, judged proper to decline.

Mr. Hunt at once returned to his saddlery business, in which he
had retained an interest, and recommenced working with his own
hands. In this position, however, he did not long remain. In less
than three months after his resignation as Mayor, and during his
absence from the city, the office of City Register became vacant by
the death of its occupant. Mr. Hunt was immediately named by
his friends for the vacancy. On his return, without being aware
that a vacancy had occurred, he found himself in effect Register of
the city. At the election by both branches of the City Council,
which took place a few days afterwards, Mr. Hunt not only received
the entire support of his political friends, but of a portion of the
opposition also. He filled this really responsible office to the satis-
faction of all.

At the time of his taking this office, the finances of the city were
in a condition very far from satisfactory ; but they became still worse
in the years 1840-42. Indeed, at that time the financial condi-
tion of the whole country was deplorable. The banks were in sus-
pension, the State failed to meet the interest on its public debt, and
the city was compelled to meet its payments on the $3,000,000 sub-
scription to the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, by forced sales of city
stock, with the result of finally depressing the stock to 50, while that
of the State was less than 30. At this time a strong opinion was
current that both State and city would be compelled to repudiate
their debts ; or at the very least the city would be under the neces-
sity of ceasing to pay the interest on its stock debt. But the Regis-
ter not only insisted that the good faith of the city should be kept,
but maintained that the city had abundant ability to meet its

JESSE HUNT. 315

obligations, if the authority was given him to conduct the necessary
negotiations. He was invested with the requisite power, and after
much difficulty succeeded, so that the city at no time failed to meet
the interest as it fell due. The season of embarrassment and finan-
cial depression soon passed over, and the city stock rose not merely
to par, but commanded a premium.

Mr. Hunt's conduct of the city finances gave such satisfaction,
that he was five times re-elected to the office which he thus filled
for more than ten years, being assured of his election for the sixth
time if he would make a change in the office of deputy, then filled
by a most faithful officer, whom he refused to remove. On his
retirement from office, resolutions highly complimentary to his
efficiency and integrity were passed by both branches of the City
Council. This event closed Mr. Hunt's long connection with the
public service.

In 1847, the Eutaw Savings Bank was incorporated, the Presidency
of which was unanimously tendered to Mr. Hunt. Finding that
the Board of Directors were all gentlemen of the highest respect-
ability, and amongst the most wealthy citizens of Baltimore ; and
that the institution was strictly benevolent in character, the charter
abundantly securing to the depositors the entire net earnings of
the Bank, he accepted the position, for the time being, without any
pecuniary compensation. He has been re-elected each successive
year, the last election being in June, 1870. The Bank has proved
an entire success, and justly ranks among the most prosperous and
faithfully conducted institutions of its character. At the close
of the year 1870, it had upwards of nine thousand depositors and
assets exceeding three millions of dollars.

Previous to the year 1849, there was no organized association for
the general relief of the poor of the city, and convinced of the great
need of such an association, a few benevolent citizens started the
" Association for the Improvement of the Condition of the Poor."
In its organization Mr. Hunt took an active part, and has for a
number of years been its President. The funds of this association
are derived from voluntary contributions, and it has been the means
of relieving much suffering and greatly improving the condition of
the deserving poor.

On the 18th day of May, 1860, Mr. Hunt was deprived, by the
act of Providence, of the associate of his childhood, his chosen com-
panion and partner in early manhood. Of this excellent lady it can
be justly said, that she was an affectionate wife, a devoted mother,
a sincere and unpretending Christian.

316 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

In closing this brief sketch of the life of Mr. Hunt, it is proper to
remark, that during the long, exciting and often angry discussions
which continued throughout his more public and political career, his
social and domestic life was marked by that uniform kindness and
courtesy, which commanded the confidence and respect of all with-
out regard to party or sectarian affiliations.

A

g ** * <?? % 4 /&£^n4&

HENRY JAMES.

In every community there is to be found a distinct class of citi-
zens more quiet in habits of life, more painstaking in business
pursuits than the great mass, from whose slow, patient, almost
unobserved, yet sure and substantial labors, large fortunes, in time,
accrue, — the proud rewards of persevering industry, — securing not
merely individual independence and all worldly comforts to their
possessors, but adding, likewise, in a thousand ways, directly and
indirectly, to the stock of power and importance of a common-
wealth. It is to this class of citizens good society owes its chiefest
debt of gratitude; for, usually, the founders of society, they are, also,
always the truest custodians of its interests. Such, too, are ever
the friends of material progress. The eye which dwells in wonder
and with pleasure on the splendid structures that adorn and make
our cities great will not fail, behind the solid masonry, to detect
the patient, plodding power whose hand was at the foundation
stones. A specimen of the class of which we speak was William
Penn, in the past. In the present are many prototypes of his in
character, in greater or lesser degree, in the various departments of
labor and life. Henry James is one of these. Poor, and without
acquaintance or friends in the State, he came, when but a youth, to
Baltimore in quest of occupation and a livelihood, — a promise of
which the superior advantages of the city, as a business mart, held,
encouragingly, out to him, — and the city has answered to his hopes.

Mr. James was born on the 21st of July, 1821, in the town of
Truxton, Courtland county, New York. His parents were Nathaniel
and Elizabeth Ingersoll James, natives of Vermont, but of English
descent, distinguished in the community in which they lived for pru-
dence and piety of life. Henry James was educated in the town of
his birth, in the common schools, until he reached his fifteenth year,
when he was sent to an academy in the same town, from which he
graduated. The greater part of his youth was passed upon a farm,
where he participated in all the labors of farm life, rendering robust

318 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

a naturally good constitution, and acquiring those habits of thrift
and industry on which success in business so largely depends.

At the age of nineteen, seized by a spirit of enterprise, he left his
birthplace and home to test the qualities of his ripening manhood,
and to try his fortune in the world. Hope, energy, faith in himself,
and a strong will — these were his resources and only capital. His
first three years were passed in the city of New York, where he
managed creditably to maintain himself, — adding to his acquisitions
the valuable ingredient of experience. In the early part of 1843 he
removed to Baltimore, and, although an entire stranger, soon suc-
ceeded in securing for himself a competency and the confidence of
the business men with whom he came in contact. His whole career
in the city of his adoption, and the city, now, of his pride and
affection, has been one of success, commensurate with the deserts of
worthy and honest effort, while the confidence of his fellow citizens,
augmented by time, surrounds him as from the first. Mr. James is
the active managing partner of the present firm of Henry James &
Co., the other members being William E. Dodge and James Stokes,
of New York, and Daniel James, of Liverpool. The house repre-
sents large tracts of timber lands lying in the counties of Tioga,
Clinton, Cameron, Elk, and Lycoming, in the State of Pennsylvania,
and owns extensive mills for the manufacture of lumber in Clinton,
L37coming, and York counties, Pennsylvania, and in Harford county
in Maryland, being one of the largest establishments of the kind in
the United States. The principal office of the firm is in Baltimore,
with branch offices in the various places where their operations are
carried on.

Mr. James, besides his large interest and business connection in
the firm of Henry James & Co., has, also, for many years been iden-
tified with, and a Director in, the Citizens' National Bank, and is
now President of that institution, having been elected to that office
on the death of his predecessor, John Clark.

The capital of the bank has been doubled since Mr. James's in-
cumbency, and the splendid marble banking house, on the northeast
corner of Pratt and Hanover streets, was erected under his auspices.
In no particular has the zeal of Mr. James been more conspicuously
or more usefully displayed than in the matter of the organization of
the Baltimore Warehouse Company, of which ho was one of the first
projectors and friends. He is still a Director in the Company.

At the age of thirty Mr. James was married to the daughter of
A. Gate, of this city, and has a large and interesting family.

lie is a member of the Westminster Presbyterian Church, of

HENRY JAMES. 319

which the Rev. Dr, Dickson is pastor. His attention to the duties
of his religion is marked by regularity of attendance at his place of
worship; and it is the whole truth to say of him that he is a sincere
Christian, and a churchman without cant, bigotry or ostentation.

The course of his life has been, and is, apart from the political
contests and excitements of the day. A quiet vote is the usual
expression of his views, under a careful and calm consideration of
measures and men, — a method, in itself, most seeming good, and
not without merit in the light of example.

The strong points in the character of Henry James are visible in
the conduct of his daily life ; as a man of business, he is energetic,
positive, firm ; as a citizen, spirited and liberal ; as a patron, the
friend of enterprise; as a Christian, devout; as a man, honest, —
modest and retiring withal.

The very extensive business operations of the firm of which he is
a member, and the interests of the Bank of which he is President,
occupy the larger part of his time, requiring his diligent supervisory
attention and care.

In the proud list of her citizens, known and honored throughout
the business world for stability, integrity and fair dealing, Balti-
more has no cause to be other than satisfied with the record and
name of her adopted son, Henry James.

4=b**g

WILLIAM JENKINS.

The ancestors of William Jenkins were among the earliest colo-
nists of Maryland, having emigrated from Great Britain ahout the
year 1660, to escape the persecutions exercised against Catholics,
and settled at the head of the St. Mary's river, near the old city of
St. Mary's. Here they lived peacefully for years under the just and
mild rule of the Lord Proprietary. But ahout the beginning of the
next century the spirit of religious persecution arose in the hitherto
happy colony ; and the Act of 1704, imposing test oaths and other
disabilities on the Catholic inhabitants who had themselves set the
noble example of toleration, compelled many of these to quit their
homes, and seek a refuse elsewhere. Amono; these emio-rants was
Michael, the father of Air. Jenkins, who, with his brothers Thomas
Courtcnay and Ignatius, sought a new home in Baltimore county,
then an outlying part of the province, almost a wilderness, and still
inhabited by Indians. Here, in the year 1710, they took up a tract
of land by patent, on " Long Green," which still remains in the
possession of the family, and upon it is yet standing the substantial
old house, constructed according to the rural architecture of the
time. While here, the father married the niece of Mr. Ignatius
Wheeler, a wealthy Catholic gentleman of Harford county.

Ten children sprang from this union, of whom William Jenkins,
the subject of this sketch, was born in 1767. Though but a child at
the commencement of the Revolutionary struggle, he felt the enthu-
siasm and military ardor which pervaded all classes. He used to
relate, as an illustration of the spirit of the time, how the' country
schoolmaster who had scarcely a boy over ten years of age, would,
after lesson hours, draw up his little school in military array, arm
them with cornstalks, and put them through their drill.

At the close of the war, young Jenkins, being thirteen years old,
and perceiving that his father could with difficulty provide for the
wants of his large family, determined to go to Baltimore and carve
out his own fortunes. Here he became apprentice to William Hay-
ward, a tanner, a member of the Society of Friends; an estimable

322 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

man and kind master, of whom Mr. Jenkins always spoke with
affection and respect, and to whom he rendered cheerful and sub-
stantial service in business affairs. At the close of his apprentice-
ship, and before he was of age, he commenced business on his own
account, in Baltimore, occupying a small building on Water street.

While quite young he married Ann, daughter of Solomon Hillen,
of Baltimore county, who, however, lived but a few years. He then
married Eleanor, daughter of Mark Willcox, of Delaware county,
Pennsylvania.

In 1805, an accidental fire destroyed all the stock in his tan yard,
thus sweeping away nearly the whole of his capital — a total loss to
him, as there was then no insurance company in Baltimore. He,
however, applied himself to retrieve his loss by persevering industry,
and with such success that in three years he found it necessary to
enlarge his small establishment on Water street by the construction
of a large three-story warehouse and dwelling on the same site.
Thirty-one years later he again enlarged it by building a large
four-story warehouse, which he was occupying at the time of his
death, having carried on his business — which for many years was a
large one, extending to all the surrounding States — for fifty-six
years on one spot.

In 1812, Mr. Jenkins built a large tan yard on the York road, to
which, some years after, he added another. He introduced im-
provements in the process of tanning which gave to Baltimore
leather a peculiarly high reputation, which it has ever since en-
joyed ; and, indeed, he may justly be spoken of as the father of
the leather trade of this city.

Early in life Mr. Jenkins joined what was called "Paul Bantalou's
Legion," a body of volunteer cavalry, which in those days often
escorted General Washington from Waterloo to Baltimore, on his
way from Mount Vernon to Philadelphia, where Congress then sat.

At the commencement of the last war with Great Britain,
Mr. Jenkins, though over the military age, became a member of a
volunteer troop of cavalry, and took an active part in the defence
of Baltimore, having also four brothers in the field. A few days
before the battle of North Point he was sent to the city on special
duty, and, having permission, made a brief visit to his own family.
Before returning, he laid aside his uniform and accoutrements to
enjoy a few moments' repose, and when about to resume them,
found that his wife, who had suffered great anxiety before his
arrival, from a false report that his troop had been cut to pieces by
the enemy, had concealed his uniform to prevent his return. Upon

WILLIAM JENKINS. 323

his remonstrating, she besought him to remain, urging his exemp-
tion from duty, and all the arguments that affection and solicitude
could suggest, but without avail : he remounted his horse in citi-
zen's dress, as she refused to restore the uniform, and reported
himself for duty at the time appointed.

In all matters tending to the improvement of the city he took a
lively interest, and frequently an active participation. lie was one
of the originators of the York and York Haven Turnpike Road
Companies, as, at a later period, of the Baltimore and Susquehanna
Railroad Company, (now the Northern Central,) of which he was
one of the first Directors. When the advantage which would
follow the extension of the Baltimore and Ohio road from Cumber-
land to Pittsburgh, became manifest, he was a member of the first
committee appointed by the city to examine the route via Con-
nellsville.

In all his dealings, both public and private, he was not merely
just, but generous and kind. When he had introduced any new
process or machinery tending to improve his manufacture, so far
from endeavoring to secure all the advantages to himself, he took a
pleasure in exhibiting it to other manufacturers, and inviting them
to avail themselves of his improvements. This unselfish and noble
spirit pervaded all his actions, and coupled with his kindness of
heart and truly Christian charity, made him not only respected but
beloved by all who knewT him well. For those in his employment
he had an almost parental regard. During the prevalence of epi-
demic yellow fever, at the beginning of the present century, one of
his apprentices being attacked by the disease, Mr. Jenkins nursed
and tended him with really fatherly care, sleeping with him in the
same room for the purpose of ministering to his wants, although at
that time the disease was believed to be infectious, and never leav-
ing him until the fatal termination.

Nothing could exceed the tenderness and beauty of his domestic
relations ; and it is probable that there was not in the world a
happier home than that at his beautiful country seat of Oak Hill.
From his youth upward he was an humble and devout Christian, and
a constant worshipper according to the faith of his fathers.

In person he was finely formed, of a commanding presence, fre-
quently reminding observers of General Washington. He was a
good horseman and fond of equestrian exercise. In his dress he
alwrays followed the fashions of the old school, and to the day of
his death he wore his hair in a cue, as it had been worn in his
youth.

324 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

He died on February 21st, 1843, from the results of a paralytic
attack. Previous to his death, surrounded by his devoted children,
five sons and one daughter, he settled all his earthly affairs, and
having prepared himself for the change, with the humble piety and
faith which had guided him through life, went to his reward.

The funeral rites were performed by the Most Reverend Arch-
bishop Eccleston, and his remains were attended to the grave by a
large concourse of his fellow citizens.

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REVERDY JOHNSON.

Reverdy Johnson is one of the most conspicuous men Maryland
has ever produced. Distinguished as being perhaps at the very
head of the legal profession in America, he has also a wide reputa-
tion as a Statesman. He was born in the city of Annapolis, May
the 21st, 1796. His family, on his father's side, was of English
descent, and on that of his mother, French, and his ancestors were
among the earliest settlers in Maryland, several of them holding
prominent positions under the Colonial Government. His father,
John Johnson, was an eminent lawyer, who, after serving in both
Houses of the General Assembly, was, successively, Attorney
General, one of the Judges of the Court of Appeals, and Chan-
cellor of the State.* His mother was a daughter of Reverdy
Ghiselin, who was long known as Commissioner of the Land
Office, at Annapolis. Educated at St. John's College, in his native
town, Reverdy Johnson entered the grammar school at six, and
left the institution at sixteen, years of age. He immediately com-
menced reading law under the direction of his father, and was,
afterwards, for awhile, a student in the office of the late Judge
Stevens. He was admitted to the Bar and began practice in
Prince George's county, in the village of Upper Marlborough, in
1815, when only in his twentieth year. He was soon appointed
by the Attorney General of the State his Deputy for the Judicial
District, and performed the duties of that responsible office,
in the most creditable manner, until November, 1817, when he
removed to Baltimore, and started in his career as a lawyer,
which, for brilliancy and success, has seldom been equalled. De-
veloping, thus early, that wonderful vigor of intellect and deter-
mination of character, which so distinguishes him, he at once took
an excellent position, and, notwithstanding his youth, was soon
recognized, by lawyers and laymen, as a man of unusual ability.
In a short time he became the professional associate and intimate

* The late Chancellor of the same name was another distinguished son of the
gentleman here alluded to.
22

826 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

companion of Luther Martin, Robert Goodloe Harper, "William
Pinkney, Roger B. Taney, William H. Winder, and several others,
who had already made the Bar of Maryland famous. Laboring
with untiring energy and earnestness of purpose, Mr. Johnson
obtained a large practice, which, to the present day, has only been
interrupted by his various public services. Soon after coming to
Baltimore, he was appointed Chief Commissioner of Insolvent
Debtors. In 1821, he was elected to the State Senate for a term of
live years, and re-elected for another term. After serving two years
of the second term he resigned, and devoted himself exclusively
to his practice from that time until 1845, when he was elected to
the Senate of the United States. Composed, as the Senate then
was, of the very ablest intellects from all parts of the country,
Mr. Johnson was among its leading members. Chosen by the
Whigs, he was naturally very intimate with Clay and Webster
and the other statesmen of that school, but his course in the
Senate was marked by the most liberal and comprehensive view
of public measures, and by an independence of party trammels
which rendered him conspicuous. Regarded, alike by friend and foe,
as possessing the clearest foresight and capable of the boldest step,
the position he might assume in any important debate was looked
for with more than ordinary interest. Retaining, always, the
personal regard of Senators on both sides, he was never without
influence, and was invariably listened to with attention. In the
memorable debates upon the question of the war with Mexico,
Mr. Johnson differed from the sentiments of his party, and was
among the supporters of the Democratic Administration of Presi-
dent Polk, in the advocacy of that war. In 1849, he resigned his
seat in the Senate to accept the position of Attorney General, ten-
dered him by President Ta}'lor. As a Cabinet Minister, during the
short term of office of General Taylor, Mr. Johnson was no less
distinguished than in the Senate. On the accession of Mr. Fillmore
he retired, and resuming the practice of his profession, at once
appeared in its foremost rank. He was retained in almost every
important cause in the Courts of Maryland and in the Supremo
Court. His advice and services were sought from distant States,
and in 1854 he was employed by an English house to argue a case
involving a claim of great magnitude against the United States
Government, before the joint English and American Commission,
then sitting in London, lie was associated professionally, in this
matter, with the present Lord Cairns, then in the House of Com-
mons, and a leading member of the Chancery Bar, and, subse-

EEVERDY JOHNSON. 327

quently, Lord Chancellor under the D'Israeli administration. During
his sojourn in England, Mr. Johnson received much attention from
the public men and members of the English Bar. Returning home
he was unceasingly engaged with his practice, and took no active
part in politics until the winter of 1860-61, when he was called upon
by the exigencies of that memorable period. He was sent as one of
the Delegates from Maryland to the Peace Convention, which
assembled at Washington. He avowed himself a Union man, and
utterly repudiated the doctrine of secession, believing it to be in
violation of the letter of the Constitution and inconsistent with the
spirit and stability of our Government. Pie was, however, conspicuous
in that Convention by his earnest and eloquent efforts to avert the
threatening calamities of civil war by measures of compromise and
conciliation. When all hope of a peaceful settlement of the sectional
difficulties had vanished, Mr. Johnson advocated the preservation
of the Union by the military power of the General Government.
Soon after the war had actually commenced, the position of the
State of Maryland became one of peculiar difficulty and embar-
rassment. Although refusing by legislative enactment to join the
other Southern States in secession, the sympathies of the large
majority of her people were, undoubtedly, against the Government.
In this trying crisis, and, throughout the strife, Mr. Johnson, while
maintaining firmly the position he had taken in favor of coercion,
was zealous in endeavoring to allay the bitterness of feeling which
was naturally enkindled. He did all he could to prevent, and, as
far as possible, to redress personal wrongs, and to save the soil of
Maryland from the actual havoc of war.

In 1861, he was sent from Baltimore county to the House of
Delegates. After the capture of New Orleans, he was sent to that
city by President Lincoln, as special Commissioner, to revise the
decisions of the military commandant, General Butler, in regard to
several important matters involving our peaceful relations with
foreign governments. He deemed it necessary and proper to reverse
all those decisions, and for the good effect of so doing he received
the thanks of the Administration. In the winter of 1862-63,
he was elected to the United States Senate, and in March, 1863,
resumed his seat in that body, after an absence of fourteen years.
He soon participated actively in all the debates, and while unswerv-
ing in the support he gave to the Union cause, he frequently re-
sisted measures of the dominant party, which he thought uncalled
for by the necessities of war, and subversive of the true liberties
of the people and the rights of the States. He voted for the

328

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

constitutional amendment abolishing slavery, having, all his life,
deplored the existence of that institution. After the surrender
of the Southern army, Mr. Johnson advised the immediate re-
admission of the seceding States and an unconditional amnesty to
their people, and in his continued and urgent advocacy of that
course by the Government, and in his resistance to the passage of
the reconstruction acts, he became, in Congress, and, was recognized
throughout the country as the leader of the Conservative party.
In voting for one of the reconstruction bills, which he held to be in
violation of the rights of the States, he declared that he did so
only because he believed, that if its provisions were not accepted
by the Southern people, harsher terms would be exacted by the
party in power — a prediction which has certainly been fulfilled.

In the summer of 1868, Mr. Johnson was appointed Minister to
the Court of St. James, and the appointment was immediately
confirmed. 'In England he was the recipient of attentions never
before paid to an American Ambassador. He visited different
portions of the kingdom and was everywhere met by a popular
ovation. In the chief commercial and manufacturing towns ban-
quets were given him, and so general was this demonstration that
Lord Clarendon, writing to a friend in America and referring to
the matter, expressed his belief that " Mr. Johnson was the only
Diplomatic Representative that had ever brought out the true
friendly feeling of the British people for those of the United States."
Nor was it alone in his official relation that he was so cordially
received. His fame as a distinguished American lawyer and jurist
brought him into the most agreeable intercourse with the Justices
and leading Barristers of England.

In a few months after his arrival in England, Mr. Johnson
succeeded in negotiating a treaty between the two nations, for the
settlement of the questions in dispute, growing out of what are
known as the "Alabama Claims.''* This treaty was in strict accord-
ance with the letter of Mr. Johnson's instructions, on entering
upon his mission, and accomplished, in fact, more than had ever
even been expected the English Government would yield. The
Senate, however, refused to ratify the treaty, although it was
privately acknowledged, by Mr. Sumner and other leading men, to
secure all that our Government had a right to ask or any reason to
expect. It is known that a supposed party necessity alone caused
the adverse action of the Senate. Mr. Johnson's despatch to the
State Department in explanation and defence of that treaty was
given to the public at the time, and was a clear and able vindication

REVERDY JOHNSON. 329

of his own course and of the justice of the terms of settlement pro-
posed. Mr. Johnson returned from England in June, 1869, and
has resumed his practice in Baltimore and at Washington, having
argued recently some of the most important causes.

In his professional life, it may he truly said of him, that from his
very youth to his present ripe age, he has had uninterrupted success.
Great as is his reputation as a lawyer of profound learning, and an
advocate of strong reasoning powers, and of the most forcible, as
well as persuasive eloquence, he is, perhaps still more remarkable at
the Bar, for his display of an acute knowledge of human nature and
an ingenious and irresistible manner of examining and cross-examin-
ing witnesses — eliciting truth from the most unwilling, and dis-
covering the falsehood of the most unblushing. In the exercise of
this peculiar faculty Mr. Johnson has no superior. Of Mr. Johnson's
private life and character, nothing could be said more correctly
expressing the estimation in which he has ever been held by his
personal friends and those with whom he has been brought in con-
tact, than that he is a genial, unassuming gentleman. Married,
when only twenty-one years old, to a lady of rare beauty, and force
of character and mind, his domestic circle, has, for more than fifty
years, been. the scene of comfort, refinement and happiness. Simple
in his tastes, kind and generous in his impulses, a warm and confid-
ing friend, and a most forgiving enemy, he is not only entitled to
the place we have given him among lawyers and statesmen, but he
commands an equally elevated position as a man.

BISHOP KEMP.

The Episcopal Church of Maryland has been adorned by many
men of shining talents and virtues, and has always had a very strong
influence on the history and destinies of the State. James Kemp,
although not of native birth, attained to distinguished position in
the church, and left an exalted record for piety and benevolence.
He was born in the parish of Keith Hall, Aberdeenshire, Scotland,
in 1764, being baptized and educated in the Presbyterian faith. He
was sent at a very early age to the grammar schools of Aberdeen,
where he at once became conspicuous for good conduct and scholar-
ship, and after obtaining the highest honors of that institution, he
entered Marschal College, a famous seat of learning, in 1782. He
was particularly noted for his mathematical attainments. He took
his degree in 1786, but anxious to avail himself of the advantages
of the college, he remained a year longer than usual, attending the
lectures on divinity of the celebrated Dr. George Campbell, and
also turning his attention to various ornamental branches of litera-
ture. He was then very strong^ urged by some of his friends to
adopt mercantile pursuits, for which he was well fitted by nature ;
but finding himself averse to this course, he resisted the importuni-
ties of his counsellors, determined on embarking for America, and
sailed for the United States, in April, 1787.

He came to Maryland, and soon after his arrival was employed as
private tutor in Dorchester count}*, on the eastern shore, passing
two j'ears in this position and continuing his theological studies.
At this time, however, his religious opinions underwent a change.
He abandoned the Presbyterian communion, in which he had been
reared, and joined the Episcopal Church. Under the instruction of
Rev. Dr. Bowie, Rector of Great Choptank parish, he prepared for
the ministry, and being ordained in December, 1789, he succeeded
Dr. Bowie in charge of the parish, in August of the succeeding
year.

During his labors on the eastern shore, for a period of twenty-
four years, he acquired a high reputation in the church for his piety

332 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

and zeal, while he became endeared to those who differed with him
in religious views, by the Christian charity he exercised toward all
men. His excellent business qualities also were of signal service to
his flock, and many persons were in the habit of consulting him,
regarding their temporal affairs, and seeking the benefit of his sound
practical sense.

In 1813, he became associate rector with Rev. Dr. Beasly, of St.
Paul's parish, Baltimore, previous to which appointment he had
been made Doctor of Divinity by Columbia College, New York. He
removed to Baltimore with a distinguished reputation as a clergy-
man and philanthropist, and in this city very soon made numerous
friends among all classes of society. In 1814, he was elected by the
convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church in Maryland, to act
as Suffragan Bishop during the lifetime of Bishop Claggett, and to
succeed him in case of survivorship. In September of the same year
he was consecrated to the Episcopal office at New Brunswick, New
Jersey, by the venerable William "White, presiding Bishop of the
Church. Thenceforth, during the life of Bishop Claggett, the more
especial province of Bishop Kemp consisted in the jurisdiction of the
Eastern Shore, but in 1816, the death of his superior advanced him
to the position of diocesan. He continued to discharge the duties
of his office until 1827, when his eminent and useful career was
suddenly terminated. He had visited Philadelphia to assist in the
consecration of the Right Rev. Dr. H. IT. Onderdonk, and on his
return home, he was fatally injured by the overthrow of the stage-
coach in which he was a passenger. He lingered in great suffering
for three days, and died on Sunday, 28th of October. His wife had
died in the preceding year, leaving two children, a daughter and a
son, the late Judge Kemp; both of whom left descendants still resid-
ing in Baltimore.

Bishop Kemp beside being eminent as a minister of the gospel,
and as a man of learning, was a very public spirited citizen.
Benevolent enterprises always claimed his interest and sympathy,
while his liberal spirit extended beyond the bounds of his own
church. He felt a deep solicitude in the welfare of the colored
population, and was ever active in his efforts to ameliorate their
condition. To piety, and warmth of feeling, he joined strong
common sense, and the cultivation and refinement of the Christian
gentleman.

JOHN PENDLETON KENNEDY.

John Pendleton Kennedy was born in the city of Baltimore,
October 25th, 1795, and died at Newport, August 18th, 1870.
He was of Irish descent, and his father at the time of his birth,
was a prosperous merchant of this city. His mother came of the
distinguished Pendleton family of Virginia. He graduated at the
Baltimore College in 1812. When the war with Great Britain
broke out, he volunteered, and, with the late George Peabody,
served as a private at the battles of Bladensburg and North
Point. Many years after, he and Mr. Peabody received from the
United States, the bounty land awarded to the soldiers of that
war.

He studied law with the late Judge Walter Dorsey, and in 1816,
was admitted to the bar, and practiced law successfully for about
twenty years.

In 1818, in connection with the late Peter Hoffman Cruse, he
commenced authorship, by the publication of a serial, called " The
Red Book," which continued two years.

In 1820 he was elected a member of the House of Delegates.

In 1832 he published his first novel, " Swallow Barn," descriptive
of plantation life in Virginia. In 1835 his second novel, " Horse-
shoe Robinson," a revolutionary story, appeared, and proved the
most successful of his writings. In 1838 he published " Rob of the
Bowl ; " a legend of St. Inigoes, a Maryland story of the days of
Cecilius Calvert — second Lord Baltimore. In 1838 Mr. Kennedy
again entered political life, and was elected to Congress as a repre-
sentative from this city by the Whig party, of which he became a
prominent member, and was chosen a Presidential elector from
Maryland, in the contest which elected General Harrison in 1840.
In this year, he published " The Annals of Quodlibet," a humor-
ous and satirical account of the Presidential campaign. He was
re-elected to Congress in 1841, and again in 1843. The first
appropriation by Congress to enable Mr. Morse to try the experi-
ment of the magnetic telegraph, between Washington and Balti-
more, was made mainly through the efforts of Mr. Kennedy. In

334 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

1846 he was again elected to the House of Delegates of this State,
and was chosen speaker. In 1849 he published his " Life of William
Wirt, Attorney General of the United States." In 1852 he was
appointed by President Fillmore, Secretary of the Navy, to fill the
vacancy occasioned by the retirement of William A. Graham, and
warmly advocated and sustained the Japan expedition and Dr.
Kane's second Arctic voyage. At the time of his decease he was
President of the Board of Trustees of the Peabody Institute, Vice-
President of the University of Maryland, and Vice-President of the
Maryland Historical Society. He was the author of a large number
of political tracts, speeches, reports, &c, among which his review of
Mr. Cambreling's " Free Trade Report," in 1830, his report on " The
Commerce and Navigation of the United States," when Chairman
of the Committee on Commerce, in 1842, and his several pamphlets
in favor of the protective system are best known. Many historical,
biographical and literary discourses, essays and reviews will doubt-
less soon be collected and with the manuscripts of " notes of travels,"
&c, left by Mr. Kennedy, given to the public by his literary execu-
tors. When Mr. Peabody revisited his native land in 1856, and
resolved upon his noble endowment of the Peabody Institute, in
this city of his early efforts, he named Mr. Kennedy as one of the
board of trustees for his great gift, and on the death of Mr. May hew,
Mr. Kennedy was elected president. The earnestness with which
he entered upon and pursued the work of organization committed
to him, was highly and gratefully appreciated by Mr. Peabody to
the last. During the late war, Mr. Kennedy was a devoted lover of
the Union, and all his influence and efforts were on the side of the
Government. In 1865 was issued the last work which he gave to
the public, being a collection of a series of letters on the principles
and incidents of the war, which, under the assumed name of " Paul
Ambrose," he had communicated to the " National Intelligencer."
At this time, he made his third visit to Europe, in the hope of
reinvigorating his shattered health. Familiar with the best English
and continental society, he renewed old intimacies and formed
manj' new ones with the literary men of the Old World. As a
refined and cultivated American, the mansions of the English
nobility were always open to him, and he was a frequent and
honored guest under their roofs. During this last tour ho was
selected by Mr. Seward, then Secretary of State, as one of the
United States Commissioners, at the grand Exposition of the
Industry of all nations in Paris, and in that capacity rendered
valuable services ; especially as one of the small select commission,
under the presidency of Prince Napoleon, to which the subject of a

JOHN PENDLETON KENNEDY. 335

uniform decimal currency was referred. While in Paris the
Emperor Napoleon conferred upon him the cross of the Legion of
Honor.
• His last public appearance before the people of his native city,
was in October, 1868, when on his return home, he presided at the
great Republican mass meeting, held here in that month.

Though long past three score and ten, Mr. Kennedy was of so
genial and joyous a nature, that the idea of his being an old man
never occurred to any one of his friends, but the hand of the
universal destroyer was reaching out toward him, and he was
himself not insensible to the approach of the inexorable hour. This
was fully evidenced, not only in his utterances, but in the corres-
pondence which he still kept up, with a few of his older and dearer
friends.

In the summer of 1870, he went to Saratoga Springs by the
advice of his physician, and a few weeks later to Newport, which
had been his summer residence for years. Here a hidden malady
was developed, which after two days of agony, patiently and
bravely borne, and one day of tranquil slumbers, released him to
his rest, In a blessed interval of wakefulness and ease, he eagerly
renewed those pledges of Christian faith, which he had given in
health, and was able to take leave of those dearest to him as he
said, " in perfect peace of mind and body."

His remains now repose in the sod of Greenmount, at the dedica-
tion of which in 1839, he delivered the address.

"Mr. Kennedy," says one of the friends who knew him best,
Eobert C. Winthrop, (from whose address before the Massachusetts
Historical Society, we have extracted largely in this sketch,) "as
a man, was greater and better than all his books. One certainly
looks in vain in all that he wrote or did for the full measure of
those gifts and acquirements of mind and heart ; that learning and
wisdom; that wit and humor; that whole soulecl cordiality and
gaiety and kindness, which shone out so conspicuously in the
intimacies of daily intercourse. A truer friend or more charming
companion, has rarely been found or lost by those who have enjoyed
the privilege of his companionship and friendship ; and among these
may be counted not a few of our most distinguished authors and
statesmen."

The courtesy which Mr. Kennedy displayed upon all occasions,
was not the mere formal discipline of elegant manners. There was,
as has been said by another friend, a sense of benefaction in it.
To approach him was to feel the friendly charm which his nature
radiated. Excellent in anecdote and reminiscence, his qualities of

336 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

companionship were remarkable, and were lured out by the sym-
pathy of the fireside and the table. Thirty years ago, when he was
in Congress, and Washington society was in the zenith of its
renown, he was one of its most popular members. In those days
of famed dinner parties, when sparkling wit and brilliant repartee
flashed and danced around the hospitable board; when song and
story went up and down ; when the statesman forgot the affairs of
State, and when political rivalries and dissensions were thrust out
of sight in the clasp of the hand, or the pledge of the health, the
Baltimore member was ever welcome, and it is related that John
Quincy Adams, himself a delightful companion, often forgot his
resolution against late hours, in listening to Mr. Kennedy. Wash-
ington Irving, in visiting Baltimore, met Mr. Kennedy for the first
time at the table of a common friend, and a close intimacy sprung
up between them, which was only broken by the hand of death.
Mr. Winthrop says, " a delightful week, which I passed under his
(Mr. Kennedy's) roof, many years ago, gave me an opportunity of
witnessing the esteem and affection, in which he was held by my
only fellow guest, Washington Irving, whose life indeed, contains
more than one letter to him, beginning ' Dear Horseshoe ' and
ending ' Geoffrey Crayon.' "

Thackeray and Dickens while in America, met Mr. Kennedy, and
the acquaintance ripened into a friendship and an intimacy, which
they were both happy to renew on his visits to England. He was
just the man to appreciate the keen satire of the one, and the
exquisite humor of the other, while those fascinating qualities of
mind and heart, which so marked him, won their no less esteem.
Oliver Wendell Holmes alluding to an interview with Mr. Kennedy,
a few days before his death, says: "He was full of talk, so
cheerful, so genial, so varied — sometimes on political and historical
matters, with which he was familiar, sometimes relating personal
experiences of which he had such a fund in his memory, always
lively, entertaining, graceful in his discourse — that I have rarely
sat in a company when one man did more to keep all the rest happy
in listening to him. There was no look of warning, no tone that
could suggest a melancholy foreboding ; but bright and brave in the
face of fast gaining infirmity, which he would not betray to sadden
others, he shed sunshine about him to the last."

Mr. Kennedy left no children. His wife, who survives to mourn
him, and who with her sister, Miss Gray, rendered his home for
more than thirty years, so dear and delightful to himself, and so
attractive to his friends, is a daughter of the late Edward Gray,
one of the most respectable merchants of Baltimore.

"WILLIAM KENNEDY.

It is a notable fact that among the leading business men of Balti-
more, and the same is probably true of other commercial cities of
this country, there are to be found the names of several whose
boyhood and early manhood were spent at sea, and who have
stepped from the quarter-deck of the vessel they commanded into
the positions they now hold of trust and confidence in the mer-
cantile community. This seems to be particularly the case in con-
nection with the management of large enterprises of associated
capital. The explanation is not far to seek. A good commander
must necessarily be a man of administrative and executive ability.
Accustomed to think and act for others, not only for those who are
under his personal control and who obey his orders, but for the
owners, whose interests are entrusted to his care on distant seas and
in foreign ports, fidelity to his trust and a strict adherence to the
line of duty will naturally be characteristic of such men. The very
responsibility of their position will tend to develop in them those
qualities of sound judgment, prompt decision, firmness and system,
which are essential to the successful management of any corporate
or associated enterprise. Hence, those who have such interests are
generally fortunate when they are able to commit them to the hands
of a man, who, amid the trials, temptations, and dangers of a sea-
faring life, has established the character of a prudent, faithful, and
skillful commander. The traits which such a character implies are
worth their weight in gold, whether on shore or afloat. The subject
of this sketch was quite long enough at sea and had a sufficient
share of the vicissitudes and experiences of a nautical life to have
his character formed and his qualities tested in the rough school
which either makes a man or mars him.

Born in Philadelphia, February 26th, 1801, Captain William
Kennedy made his first voyage to the West Indies when he was a
lad of fourteen. From that time until he finally quit the seas, in
1834, he was continuously in the merchant service, and from the
year 1820 was in command of a vessel.

In 1835 he came to Baltimore to live, and formed a copartnership
in the hide and leather business with Mr. William Jenkins, to

338 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

whose daughter he was married in 1831. After the death of his
father-in-law, in 1843, Captain Kennedy continued in business by
himself until September, 1847, when he was induced to devote him-
self entirely to the management of the interests of the Mount
Vernon Manufacturing Company, of which corporation he was
made President. This position, after the lapse of twenty-three years,
Captain Kennedy still holds. It is not the only position of trust,
however, to which he was elected long years ago, and which he still
retains, in proof of the high estimation in which his services are
held by those who have once enjoyed the benefit of them. For
more than thirty consecutive years he has been a Director in the
Bank of Baltimore, and for more than twenty-five years a Director
of the Equitable Fire Insurance Company. He is also a Director in
the Baltimore Savings Bank.

The Mount Vernon Mills, the property of the Company whose
affairs he has so long and faithfully administered, are among the
most important manufacturing establishments in the vicinity of
Baltimore. Situated on the Falls turnpike and on the bank of
Jones's Falls, and distant about two miles from the city, they give
employment to about three hundred operatives, one half of whom
are females. The mills are run partly by water and partly by steam,
and are employed in the manufacture of cotton sail duck, ravens,
twine, felting for paper makers, and an article of canvas, wide
and light, used for threshing machines. The production in 1869
amounted to 1,240,245 yards of goods and 23,233 pounds of twine.
The consumption of raw material amounted to 3,144 bales ; the mills
have a capacity, however, to work up a much larger amount, or
about 5,000 bales per annum. The Company's property embraces
some sixty acres of land, prettily embellished and improved, on
which are erected eighty or more dwellings for the operatives, the
majority of which are built of stone, and which constitute the little
village of Mount Vernon.

Captain Kennedy himself resides near Baltimore city, his country
seat, where he has lived for more than forty years, being situated a
short distance beyond the Green Mount Cemetery. His character
is what the record of his life would indicate, — that of an upright,
modest, unassuming gentleman, who, while habitually shrinking
from notoriety and doing nothing to court public attention, has ac-
quired the respect and esteem of the community, by the energy and
fidelity with which he has fulfilled every trust committed to his
charge, and particularly for his successful management of the im-
portant manufacturing enterprise to which he has devoted the latter
portion of his life.

-U-mad

THOMAS KENSETT.

Thomas Kexsett was born in Cheshire, Connecticut, on February
12th, 1814. His father, also named Thomas, was a native of Eng-
land, who immigrated to America in the early part of this century,
and settled in Connecticut, where he soon after married Elizabeth
A. Daggett, of Xew Haven.

In the year 1819, Mr. Kensett, Sr., invented a mode of preserving
meats, fruits and vegetables, which in all essential particulars is the
same with that now in general use. Seeing at once the commercial
importance and value of his invention, he resolved to make arrange-
ments for conducting the process on a larger scale, and to this end
removed to the city of Xew York, where he established himself in
partnership with his father-in-law, Mr. Ezra Daggett. The business
thus established was successfully prosecuted by the partners until
the year 1825, when Mr. Daggett retired from the firm and returned
to Xew Haven, Mr. Kensett continuing the business until his death,
in June, 1829.

The trade in "canned goods," which has since developed into such
gigantic proportions, was at this time in its infancy. The demand
was limited to the purchases made by the United States, and con-
sisted principally of meats, soups and milk for officers' stores, and
hospital use in the navy, and of supplies for vessels bound on long
voyages.

Mr. Kensett, the subject of this sketch, resided in Xew York,
engaged in mercantile pursuits, from the year 1820 to 1849. In
1838 he married Miss Eliza P. Wheeler, daughter of J. B. Wheeler,
a member of the State Legislature. In 1849 he removed to Balti-
more; and about the same time, (his first wife having died some
years before,) married Miss Sarah Ann Wheeler of Xew York, with
whose brother he formed a partnership. Mr. Wheeler remained in
Xew York to represent the business, that being the principal centre
of demand, while Mr. Kensett established his factory on York
street, near Light, in Baltimore, as the latter city afforded by far
the greatest facilities for procuring the oysters and fruits which

340 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

were the staple articles of the business. The rent of the building
he occupied then was $125 per annum.

Just at this time occurred the discovery of gold in California,
which gave so amazing an impetus to nearly all branches of trade,
and to none more than that in canned goods, both for sea-stores and
for consumption in the mines, where they were looked upon as
articles of prime necessity. Mr. Kensett experienced a full share
of this prosperity. The old factory being found inadequate for
the increasing demands of the business, he erected a new building,
of what then seemed to the firm the imposing dimensions of
twenty-five feet by sixty.

The building which the present firm occupies, on the same site,
has a length of a hundred and fifty feet with a depth of seventy, is
three stories in height, and stands upon a site fronting three hundred
and seventy-five feet on West Falls' avenue, with a similar front on
the basin. Mr. Kensett also erected another factory for packing
fruit and the manufacture of cans, which has a front of seventy-five
feet on Bank street, and a depth of one hundred and ten.

Upon the death of Mr. Wheeler, in 1857, Mr. Kensett continued
the business alone until 1864, when he admitted his son, Thomas H.
Kensett, and his nephew, EL N. Vail, to interests in the house.

Until the breaking out of the war between the States, in 1861,
the principal foreign markets for canned goods were Australia,
California and South America ; but during the war the demand for
home consumption was enormously increased, and the quality of the
goods packed in Mr. Kensett's establishment gave so much satisfac-
tion and attained so wide a reputation, that the business has greatly
increased in extent.

The statistics of this trade afford an interesting proof of how
vastly the natural wealth of a country may be increased by the
discoveries of science. The oysters and fruits, which are the staple
articles of the trade, are of so delicate and perishable a nature that
they cannot, under ordinary circumstances, bear long keeping or
distant transportation. Hence of the immense wealth contained in
the prolific oyster beds of the Chesapeake Bay, but an insignificant
portion was realized ; while the peach orchards on either shore,
though in numbers and extent but a small fraction of those now
flourishing, produced crops of delicious fruit, of which great part
was sold at a trivial price or perished for want of a market. At
the time when Mr. Kensett, Sr., obtained his patent for preserving
meats and fruits, in 1825, the market value of poaches was from
forty to seventy cents per bushel; when now it is not unusual for

THOMAS KENSETT. 341

a packer to pay three dollars, and even five dollars a bushel for
fruit of good quality. Two years ago, one of the Baltimore packers
paid twenty-seven thousand dollars in cash for the peaches taken
from a farm of a hundred and twenty-five acres, being an average
of about four dollars per bushel. Eighteen years ago the entire
product of the farm could have been bought for a third of the
sum. What is true of this orchard may be applied to nearly all
the farm lands about the city, which in many places have increased
in value five hundred per cent. ; and this result has been obtained
chiefly by the development of the packing business.

Fifteen years ago the largest houses in the trade did not pack
more than two thousand bushels during the season ; now many of
them require from five to eight hundred bushels a day, and this,
too, during a season which lasts about two months.

During the season, Mr. Kensett's firm employs eight hundred
hands ; and to give an idea of the activity of the business, we
may state that from August 9th to September 14th of the year
1870, this house packed one million thirty-seven thousand four
hundred and seventy-six cans of peaches.

The oysters are principally taken from the Chesapeake Bay and
its tributaries, and the business of taking as well as packing gives
employment to a large number of persons. There are houses
engaged in the packing business in this city, which give constant
employment during the season to forty and fifty vessels each, and
which disburse more than five hundred thousand dollars a year.
The returns on the business, which requires such heavy outlay,
come from all parts of the country and all quarters of the world,
except Maryland, where there is so little demand for consumption
that the entire profits on the goods sold for that purpose in a
year, by any house, would not pay their book-keeper's salary. But
this one State excluded, the whole civilized world is their customer.

A meeting of the Baltimore Oyster Packers' Association, of
which Mr. Kensett is President, was held on Light street, on the
9th of April, 1868, at which meeting about thirty gentlemen
were present, representing at least $15,000,000 of capital engaged
in this business. Mr. Kensett delivered an address, reciting the
history of the trade, and filled with interesting facts. After
dwelling on the importance of this traffic among the various
industries of the State, he went on to say: "I do not err when
I state that we are developing our resources, and contributing
greatly to stimulate and foster the growth of the city by this
flourishing branch of industry. Our factories, in many instances,
23

342 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

employ from three to five hundred persons, during seven months
of the year, and these, too, of a class who could not easily find
other occupation. Were it not for the shucking of oysters, many
children, from twelve to fifteen years of age, would spend much
of their time in the streets and around the wharves and docks,
being trained up to immorality and crime, and preparing to fill
our jails and workhouses. Now they are actively and usefully
employed, earning from twenty-five cents to a dollar and twenty
five cents a day.

" On comparing the business of the packing houses with what
it was twelve years ago, it can scarcely be realized that each of
them now cans more goods than were then packed during an
entire year. The United States Government has purchased more
canned goods this year than were packed in the entire State eighteen
years ago.

" About eleven million bushels of oysters are taken annually
from the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries, of which nine mil-
lions are packed in Baltimore.

" There are seventy regular packing houses, employing fifteen
thousand persons, and packing about fifteen million cans each year.

" Seventeen hundred vessels, averaging about fifty tons each, and
three thousand canoes, are employed in dredging or tonging for
oysters.

" The extensive trade in this line of goods has had the effect of
bringing to Baltimore an immense amount of business in other
pursuits, which never would have sought the city but for its
general reputation as a packing depot."

Mr. Kensett's address, and the important and well authenticated
facts which it contained, was listened to with great interest, and
elicited much applause.

Such has been the growth of a business, which in sixty years
from the time Mr. Kensett, Sr., packed the first can of hermeti-
cally sealed goods in the United States, has now grown to be one
of the most important and flourishing industries in the State.

Mr. Kensett enjoys the possession of an ample fortune. He is a
Director in the Second National and Mechanics Banks, and is a
large stockholder in most of the other Banks of Baltimore. He
is also largely interested in several railroads, and has been very
successful in his investments in real estate. He is an attendant of
the Presbyterian Church. His family consists of three sons and
three daughters.

j^^MlJ^*-

ALEXANDER KIRKLAND.

Alexaxder Kirklaxd, the second son of William and Margaret
Kirkland, was born in March, 1784, near Dungannon, County
Tyrone, Ireland. His father was a farmer of the sturdy Scotch-Irish
race settled in the north of the island. He was brought up at home
until he reached the age of sixteen, when he was placed with a
kinsman, Mr. David Dixon, then doing an active business in the
lively borough town of Dungannon, which had its weekly grain
market, and monthly fair, its quarter and petty sessions, and
returned a member to Parliament. With Mr. Dixon, young Kirk-
land acquired the correct and steady business habits which were
characteristic of his whole life.

After coming of age, he left Mr. Dixon, and embarked in busi-
ness on his own account, and soon after married Miss Maria Ken,
daughter of Patrick Ken, of Dungannon. But domestic affliction,
which overtook him in the loss of his wife and only child, rendering
his home, with its painful associations, distasteful to him, he deter-
mined to seek his fortunes in the ISTew World. He had always felt
attracted towards Baltimore, sharing in this the feeling of many of
his countrymen who have chosen this city as their home, and
among whom Baltimore counts not a few of her worthiest citizens ;
so he selected that as his destination, and arrived in December,
1809.

Soon after his arrival he was offered a situation by Mr. Marcus
McCausland, as cashier and collector in his brewery, with a home
in the family. He at once accepted the offer, and remained in this
position until 1813, when he left Mr. McCausland's establishment
and engaged, on his own account, in the ship-chandlery business.
About this time, the war spirit, which Mr. Kirkland had found
very prevalent in this country upon his arrival, had resulted in the
outbreak of hostilities with England. He, like most of his country-
men, bore no love for that country, and had a high apprecia-
tion of the liberties and institutions of the land of his adoption ;
and in 1810 he had joined a volunteer company of Irishmen, com-

344 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

manded by the late Christopher Hughes. At the outbreak of the
war, this company marched in column to the Court House, and
received their naturalization papers on the spot.

Upon Capt. Hughes resigning the command, Mr. Kirkland joined
Capt. Archibald Pike's company of artillery, and during the bom
bardment of Fort McHenry, in September, 1814, he was stationed
with his company on the works thrown up at what is now Patter-
son Park. Upon the landing of the British forces at North Point,
this company was ordered to meet them by a forced march, an
order which was countermanded when they had nearly reached the
front, and they were ordered back to the works they had previously
occupied. The excessive heat of that day, and their excitement
and fatigue, will never be forgotten by the survivors. A night of
extreme severity, owing to the setting-in of the equinoctial storms,
followed this exhausting day, during which, and for several suc-
ceeding days and nights, Mr. Kirkland was constantly exposed in
the trenches. The consequence of this exposure, aggravated by the
accident of a broken ankle, for a time completely shattered his
robust constitution, and left its effects in a permanent lameness and
subsequent paralysis of the left leg.

In 1819, he was prostrated by the epidemic yellow fever of that
year; and his convalescence left him so enfeebled, that his physician
enjoined him to break up his business and take to the seas, which
he did in the following year, selling out his stock, chartering a
vessel, which he loaded partly with goods of his own, and partly
with the consignments of friends, and went as supercargo on a
trading voyage to the "West Indies. In that day, before the estab-
lishment of foreign mail lines, and the other facilities for safe and
speedy communication with distant ports, all vessels bound on
trading voyages, were accompanied by supercargoes ; and many of
our most accomplished and successful merchants received the train-
ing which conducted them to prosperity in this responsible but now
obsolete office.

Mr. Kirkland continued to perform these duties, to the entire
satisfaction of all who entrusted their interests to his hands, until
1825, when his health being now entirely restored, he made an ar-
rangement with his present partner, Mr. Daniel Chase, and a Captain
Fish, to become joint proprietors of the vessel. In the same year,
he also arranged with Mr. Sidney Mason, of Gloucester, Mass., (now
of New York,) to embark in a joint account business, Mr. Kirk-
land to remain in Baltimore, and Mr. Mason to establish himself
in St. John's, Porto Rico. Mr. George Latimer, of Philadelphia,

ALEXANDER KIRKLAXD. 345

afterwards became a party to this arrangement, and opened a branch
house at Mayaguez, Porto Rico.

The business thus commenced, has continued without interrup-
tion to the present time. The original founders are all still living ;
and the past year (1870) their aggregate exports of breadstuff's, pro-
visions, &c, to Porto Rico amounted to more thau $470,000, and
their imports from Porto Rico, to 13,800 hhds. of sugar, which
exceeds the entire importation of sugar from all sources, at the time
their house was established.

The business was at first conducted by Mr. Kirkland under his
own name ; but Mr. Chase, though actively engaged with his
bakery, was interested in the Porto Rico trade of the house, and
purchased most of the goods exported. In 1836, Mr. Chase gave up
his bakery, and the formal partnership of Kirkland and Chase was
announced ; and in 1841 the firm was increased by the admission
of Mr. Allen A. Chapman, a son-in-law of Mr. Chase, and Mr.
Robert R. Kirkland, son of the senior partner, upon which the style
of the firm became Kirkland, Chase & Company, as it now exists.

The introduction of the new partners, both men of remarkable
intelligence, activity and business talents, gave additional strength
and impulse to the already prosperous house ; their business in-
creased from year to year, and they added vessel to vessel, by
purchase, construction, or charter, to supply the requisitions of their
enlarging trade. One of their brigs, the Frances Jane, they ran for
more than thirty years, taking always full cargoes, and making a
hundred and sixty-three voyages to Porto Rico alone, besides vari-
ous trips to Brazil ; an amount of trading probably unequalled by
any vessel of her class in the United States.

The business community of Baltimore has long recognized the
position and value of this estimable house, in its relation to the
commerce of the city, which it has probably contributed more to
improve and extend than any other mercantile firm. They have
also given employment to large numbers of mechanics and laborers,
besides seamen and employes in the various branches of their busi-
ness ; and have earned with all classes a well deserved reputation
for integrity, liberality, and public spirit. Far above the petty
jealousies of trade, they have ever been ready to extend a helping
hand to young men entering into business, and to assist them,
when deserving, in their efforts to rise.

They were largely instrumental in establishing the sugar re-
fineries whose business is now so valuable to the city ; aiding and
encouraging their late esteemed and lamented friend, Mr. John C.

346 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

Brune, by liberal subscription and other assistance, in the establish-
ment of the Maryland Sugar Refinery, and by their capital and
credit contributing largely to the success of the Baltimore Sugar
Refinery of Messrs. Dougherty, Woods & Co.

Some twenty or thirty years ago, the cargoes of sugar, coffee, &c,
arriving in port, were always sold at auction, and in the busy
season this house disposed of such cargoes by auction, having one
or two sales a week. The brokerage system has now superseded
the former custom ; but our old grocery merchants will remember
those sales when R. Lemmon & Company were the auctioneers ; and
Mr. Kirkland was always to be seen in superintendence, with a
smile and pleasant word for all. The honorable uprightness, the
candid, open dealing, and the gentlemanly courtesy of those two
well known old Baltimore houses, R. Lemmon & Company, and
Wm. G. Harrison & Company, is still well remembered, and
deserves at least a passing notice here.

Though the house of Kirkland, Chase & Company were noted
for their liberality in allowing credit to all whom they deemed
worthy of confidence, they weathered the various commercial crises,
though suffering losses amounting to hundreds of thousands of
dollars, until the year 1860. The commercial panic which followed
the election of Mr. Lincoln, with the wide-spread apprehension,
which too soon became reality , that the excited feeling throughout
the country would result in a wTar between the States, brought
heavy disasters upon the house. They were then holding large
stocks of merchandise, which rapidly depreciated in value, and in
one day more than $100,000 of bills were returned to them pro-
tested. They went into an investigation of their affairs ; their
actual and estimated losses ; the business assets of the firm, and the
individual property of the partners, and the result of the investi-
gation, proved that they were insolvent.

Though their credit was still good, they deemed it their duty at
once to close their business. Their liabilities proved to exceed
$1,800,000. After paying in full every claim which could justly be
regarded as confidential, they compromised with their creditors at
seventy-five cents in the dollar, a percentage which many of the
creditors thought would never be realized from the assets.

Mr. A. Kirkland, who at the time of the disaster was incapaci-
tated for active business, strengthened his partners in their resolu-
tion to give up all their property for the satisfaction of the credi-
tors. Mr. Chase surrendered all his property, and with the rest,
the handsome residence, which he had not long built, and removed

ALEXANDER KIRKLAND. 347

to a small rented house. The junior partners, Mr. Chapman and
Mr. R. R. Kirkland, were not behind their seniors in this deter-
mination to sacrifice all for the honor of the house.

This failure excited universal sympathy wherever the firm was
known. The creditors all signed their release ; and such was the
confidence reposed in them by their foreign correspondents, that
they were receiving new business before they had completed the
compromise settlement for the old.

The spring of 1861 tried them severely ; and it seemed that they
must break dowu in their efforts to pay the compromised propor-
tion ; but they straggled manfully, and in less than three years
from the date of their suspension, paid, not merely the stipulated
three-fourths, but all claims in full, principal and interest.

Since that time, the house has gone on with re-established credit,
and more than regained its former prosperity. In the past year it
exported goods in seventy-three vessels, and imported 26,000 hhds.
of sugar, 52,000 bags of coffee, besides other merchandise, on which
the Governmeut received in duties $1,500,000 gold, being about
one-hundredth part of its entire revenue from import duties.

Though Mr. A. Kirkland no longer actively participates in the
business of the firm, of which he is still the senior, he is cognizant
of all their large and varied operations.

In addition to his regular business, Mr. Kirkland has held vari-
ous positions of trust in public institutions. He has been a director
in several banks, and still holds that position, though rather as an
honoraiy than an active office, in the Eutaw Savings Bank, his
fellow directors in which institution some years since, waited upon
him in a body, aud presented him with an address expressive of
their sympathy and respect. He has also held directorships in our
Marine Insurance Companies ; and in all his official positions, his
known soundness of judgment and uprightness of character gave
great weight to his advice and opinions. He never took any active
part in political affairs.

On his arrival in this country, he connected himself with the
Presbyterian Church, but after his marriage he joined the Metho-
dist Episcopal Church, of which his wife was a member.

Mr. Kirkland has now living two sons, "Wm. E. Kirkland (of the
firm of Kirkland and Von Sachs, New York) and Robert R. Kirk-
land, his partner ; three daughters, Mrs. Benjamin C. Buck, Mrs.
John L. "Weeks and Mrs. Talbot J. Taylor; twenty-three grand-
children, and three great-grandchildren ; and has consequently had
four generations under his roof. Four years ago he celebrated his

348 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

golden wedding, and with his aged wife, who is still living, and
descendants to the third generation, presented a picture of happy
and honored old age, such as is rarely seen.

r ^

-&€.

WILLIAM KNABE.

The career of Mr. "William Knabe, the eminent piano forte
manufacturer, and founder of the firm of William Knabe & Co.,
who died in this city May 21st, 1864, is an apt illustration of the
effect which little causes, of the kind commonly called accidental,
and oftentimes viewed in the light of misfortunes, have in shaping
the course of human lives to the most fortunate results. Mr. Knabe
was born at Kreuzburg, in the Duchy of Saxe Weimar, June 3d,
1803. His father, who was an apothecary, designed that his son
should be educated for a profession, but owing to the loss of prop-
erty, occasioned by the calamities of war during the French
invasion of Germany in 1812-13, was unable to gratify his wish.
Young Knabe instead of going to the gymnasium and the univer-
sity, was apprenticed to a cabinet maker. After learning his trade,
according to the German custom, he traveled for two }Tears in
the exercise of his craft, and then apprenticed himself for three
more years, to Langenhahn, a manufacturer of piano fortes, at
Gotha.

He afterwards traveled for six years, during which period he
visited the principal cities of Germany, and was everywhere recog-
nized as an excellent piano maker. In 1831, while a resident of
Saxe Meiningen, he formed an acquaintance with Miss Christiana
Ritz, the daughter of a well-to-do family, which resulted in an
engagement of marriage ; but before its consummation, the family
of his affianced decided to emigrate to America, whither a brother
of Miss Kitz had gone a few years previous. Mr. Knabe accom-
panied them with the intention of becoming a farmer, but as Dr.
Ernest Ritz, upon whom the care of the family principally rested,
had died on the passage ; and, as the difficulties encountered in a
journey to Missouri, whither they intended going, were learned,
he resolved to remain in Baltimore, at least one year, to familiarize
himself with the language and customs of the country. Upon his
arrival in Baltimore he was united to Miss Ritz, and obtained
employment from H. llartge (the original inventor of iron piano

350 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

frames) at five dollars per week, which was soon increased to eight
dollars per week. By working early and late, he increased his
earnings so greatly that he sold his agricultural utensils, &c., and
abandoning his intention to go to Hermann, Missouri, he was
enabled after four years of hard labor and judicious economy, to
commence business for himself, in the purchase, sale and repairing
of old pianos, in the old frame building on the corner of Liberty
and Lexington streets.

In 1839, he formed a partnership with Mr. H. Gaehle, and com-
menced the manufacture of piano fortes. The business increased so
rapidly, and additional accommodation was so necessary, that the
firm removed in 1841, to the corner of Liberty and German streets.
In 1843, in consequence of the growing demand for their pianos,
they were induced to take the warehouse at the corner of Eutaw
street and Cowpen alley. Four years later, they rented the ware-
houses ]STos. 1, 3, 5 and 7 North Eutaw street, still occupied by
William Knabe & Co., for office purposes and warerooms. In 1851,
they had two large establishments, one on Baltimore street near
Paca, the other, on Cowpen alley in the rear of the Eutaw House.
In November, 1854, the latter manufactory was destroyed by fire,
and five weeks later, that on Baltimore street was also burnt.
The major part of their hard earned fortune was thus lost, as there
was only a small insurance on the factories; and it was only by
indomitable energy and industry, that total ruin was averted.
The partnership of Knabe & Gaehle was dissolved, by the death of
the latter, in 1855, when he recommenced business under the
present firm of William Knabe & Co. ; and the old paper mill, on
the corner of West and China streets was bought, for the purpose
of being converted into a piano factory. The increase of business
soon led to a corresponding enlargement of his plans, and in 1860,
he commenced the erection of the present immense structure, at the
corner of Eutaw and West streets, making the entire plans for
same as now completed, and now having a front of two hundred
and ten feet on the former street and of one hundred and sixty-five
feet on the latter, and one wing of which had been completed, when
the war in 1861, caused a disastrous interruption in the business
of the firm. Up to this time, their sales had been chiefly at the
South. The loss of this trade, consequent upon the war, com-
pelled the firm to seek a new market for their pianos. This was
found in the West, and by energy and perseverance, an extensive
business was gradually built up. The new factory was completed,
by additions made in 1865 and 1869, and crowned with its cupola,

"WILLIAM KNABE. 351

from which an extended view of the city, in every direction, can he
had, it forms a conspicuous ohject, and one which cannot fail to
arrest the attention of travelers entering or leaving the city by the
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, near the line and depot of which
company it is situated. This extensive factory, one of the very
largest and best arranged in every way in the United States, and
furnishing employment to a numerous body of skillful workmen,
is capable of turning out forty finished pianos every week. Too
much credit cannot be given to the indomitable pluck and energy
with which the business of this firm has been carried on, in the
face of losses by fire and wTar, which, w'ere temporarily almost
ruinous. Beginning life in Baltimore, as we have seen, as a jour-
neyman mechanic, led by accident, in the first instance, to make
this city his home, and afterwards to abandon his original design
of turning farmer, and to engage instead in the business of manu-
facturing pianos, AVilliam Knabe, from the time he entered upon
this latter career, pursued it with unflinching energy and resolution.
He bore his reverses with equanimity, continued faithful to his
engagements under all circumstances, and in the face of disaster
and impending ruin, maintained a cheerfulness and decision of
character, worthy of imitation as well as praise. Qualities such
as Mr. Knabe possessed, rarely fail in the end to command success.
He died May 21st, 1864, honored and respected among business
men for his integrity, loved by his employes for his considerate
care of their comfort, and deserving to be held in grateful remem-
brance b}' the many thousands to whose innocent and profitable
enjoyment, his skill and ingenuity have contributed.

In August, 1855, Mr. Knabe decided to compete for the gold
medal to be awTarded by the Maryland Institute, for the best piano
exhibited at its next fair. The difficulties encountered in settling
the accounts of the old firm, rendered it necessary for him to
temporarily leave the old stock in the hands of others, he was
therefore compelled to contend for the prize under very disadvan-
tageous circumstances. Notwithstanding these, in seven tcceks the
instrument wTas made, which bore away the palm from more than
twenty competitors.

Since then, medals, diplomas, and premiums without -number,
have attested the public appreciation of the excellence of these
pianos, while Thalberg, Gottschalk, Strakosch, Marmontel, Prune
and others, have recorded the verdict of the artistic and musical
world in their favor.

Owing to the extensive sale which they have commanded,

352 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

through large portions of the country, the name of " Knabe," has
become a household word.

When it is remembered that forty years ago, Americans were
satisfied to buy indifferently finished pianos, of foreign makers,
at extravagant prices, and that the prejudice was general and
inveterate against home manufactured instruments, the part which
the enterprise and skill of Mr. Knabe have borne in effecting that
revolution in sentiment and trade, which has enabled the manu-
facturer of American pianos to supersede those of the foreign
manufacturer, and in reality to sell a superior instrument, at a
lower price, deserves especial commendation.

In closing this sketch, it may be cited as an illustration of Mr.
Knabe's kindly disposition, and of the pleasant relations which he
always cultivated with those in his employ, that in 1855 he insti-
tuted the custom of giving an annual holiday and pic-nic to all
his workmen and their families, only interrupted for a few years
during the height of the late war, a custom which the firm has ever
since kept up. More of such pleasing exhibitions of consideration,
and sympathy on the part of employers towards those who labor
for them, would tend to remove much of the asperity which too
frequently marks the intercourse of employers and employes, and
embitters the contests between capital and labor.

The business which Mr. Knabe founded in his lifetime, and left
at his death in a highly prosperous condition, is being carried on
with increasing success by his sons, William and Ernest Knabe, and
his son-in-law Charles Keidel, under the name of William Knabe
&Co.

LUTHER MARTIN.

This very distinguished lawyer, who graced the bar of Maryland,
at a period when it could also boast of Robert Goodloe Harper,
Roger B. Taney, William Wirt, and AVilliam Pinkney, was born
in New Brunswick, New Jersey, in 1744. He was the third of a
family of nine children, and at an early age displayed a love of
learning. He acquired the elements of the Latin language, at a
grammar school to which he was sent at the age of thirteen years ;
and in 1762, he graduated at Princeton College with the highest
honors. At this institution he pursued his classical studies, and at
the same time made some progress in French and Hebrew.

His family being in very moderate circumstances, Luther at once
upon leaving college, determined to maintain himself; and having
chosen the profession of law, although greatly against the wishes
and views of his friends, he, only two days after graduating, left
home, and set out on horseback with two or three young men for
Cecil county, Maryland. His object was to take charge of a school,
but finding on arrival that the place had been filled, he was advised
to proceed to Queenstown, in Queen Anne county. Here he was
hospitably received, and soon entered on his humble duties as a
schoolmaster. He occupied this position until April, 1770, in order
to gain a support while studying for his chosen profession of law.

Even at this period the reckless habits of Luther Martin, which
so seriously affected his good fortunes during life, brought him into
debt and consequent difficulty ; but at length in 1771 or 1772, he
was, through the aid of the distinguished George Wythe and John
Randolph, admitted to the Virginia bar. He sojourned for a session
at "Williamsburg, and while there made the acquaintance of Patrick
Henry and other noted men. Soon after this period, he commenced
the practice of the law at Accomac, Virginia, and then took up
his residence in Somerset, Maryland, establishing rapidly a very
lucrative practice, amounting to one thousand pounds a year, being
for that time a very large sum. He continued to attract the public
as an able and brilliant lawyer, and in 1774 he was appointed one

354 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

of the convention which assembled at Annapolis, to resist the
pretensions of the mother country. The difficulties with England
had now fully roused the Colonies, and Luther Martin threw the
whole weight of his influence and talents into the cause of American
Independence. A proclamation published by the Howes, command-
ing the British forces, in the Chesapeake, and addressed to the
people of that section of the country, was answered by Luther
Martin, in the most elocpuent and forcible manner.

In February, 1778, through the influence of Judge Samuel Chase,
Martin was appointed Attorney General of the State of Maryland.
He entered upon his office at a period when it required the strongest
exercise of authority in prosecuting the Tories, who were constantly
endeavoring to thwart the action of the United States Government.
Martin proceeded against them with iron will and unflinching pur-
pose, and greatly aided in their total overthrow in Maryland. The
office was conferred upon him without any solicitation on his part,
and holding it as he did for a long period, he constantly added
to his reputation as an advocate of pre-eminent ability. In 1804,
his friend Judge Chase of the Supreme Court of the United States,
having been impeached in the House of Representatives, on charges
contained in eight articles, for malfeasance in office, Martin de-
fended him in connection with Robert Goodloe Harper. His argu-
ment on that occasion, was one of the most powerful ever heard
in an American court room, and is still referred to with wonder
by some yet living who listened to it. Judge Chase was acquitted
on every charge.

It was the fortune of Martin to be engaged in another cause of
wider celebrity, and also again with Mr. Harper ; in the trial of
Aaron Burr for high treason. In 1807, Burr was brought to trial
before the Circuit Court of the United States, at Richmond,
Virginia, for treasonable designs, " in preparing the means of a
military expedition against Mexico, a territory of the King of
Spain, with whom the United States were at peace." During
this memorable trial, Martin exerted all his genius in defending
Burr who, as is well known, was acquitted.

In 1814, Mr. Martin was appointed Chief Justice of the Court of
Oyer and Terminer, for Baltimore city and county, and held the
office with his usual ability until he was compelled to resign it, in
consequence of a new Act of the Legislature. In 1818, he was
again appointed Attorney General of the State of Maryland, and
District Attorney for the city of Baltimore, but by this time the
advances of age and disease had impaired his vigor and his intellect,

LUTHER MARTIN. 355

so that he was unable to attend personally to his duties. His
powers at length were shattered by a stroke of paralysis, and owing
to bis pecuniary embarrassments, he removed to New York, accept-
ing the friendly hospitality of Aaron Burr ; who repaid the services
which Martin had rendered him in former years ; until at the age
of eighty-two, the celebrated lawyer died on the 10th of July, 1826.
The fame of Luther Martin, is still respectfully cherished at the
bar of Maryland, and must continue to be for very many years,
although his great legal reputation is now almost wholly traditional.
His singular eccentricities of character and manner, are vividly
remembered, his absence of mind frequently so completely absorbing
him from the world, that he would appear upon the streets closely
studying his legal papers, and totally unconscious of the passing
world. It is to be regretted that one so gifted should have been
afflicted with habits of extravagance and intemperance, which while
offering warnings to others, rendered his own life often unhappy,
and in his old age clouded his noble intellect, and reduced him to
extreme penury.

BRANTZ MAYER.

Brantz Mayer was born in the city of Baltimore, Maryland, on
the 27th of September, 1809, and was veiy thoroughly educated,
partly at Saiut Mary's College, Baltimore, and partly by private
instruction. After finishing his education he traveled extensively
in Europe, and in the East, as far as China, and the islands of the
Indian Sea. Destined for the bar, he was admitted to the Courts,
and after his return from Europe practiced law until 1841, when he
was appointed Secretary of the United States Legation to Mexico, a
post he retained until the death of his father, the late Christian
Mayer, one of the early and eminent German merchants of
Baltimore. On his return from Mexico to his native city he varied
attendance on the Courts with contributions to literature ; and, for
some time, edited the "Baltimore American," while it was under
the administration of its founders, Messrs. Dobbin, Murphy & Bose.

Mr. Mayer's principal works which have made him so widely
known as a contributor to the solid, descriptive and historical
literature of our country, are: First, his book, in one volume, pub-
lished in 1844, entitled " Mexico as it Was and as it Is ;" Second,
the " Journal of Charles Carroll, of Carrollton, during his journey
with Franklin, Chase and Archbishop Carroll to Canada in 1775,"
which Mr. Mayer edited with a rich, historical memoir and notes ;
Third, " Mexico ; Aztec, Spanish and Republican," an admirable,
historical, and descriptive work on that country ; and the first
(native or foreign) that grouped the ancient and modern, as well as
the productive and statistical characteristics of that interesting
empire ; Fourth, " Captain Canot ; or, Twenty Years of the Life of
an African Slaver ;" a narrative of the fads of a real life, derived
from the adventurer himself, and valuable for the picture it presents
of aboriginal life, in the interior as well as on the coasts of Africa,
and of the abominable trade in human flesh ; Fifth, " Observations
on Mexican History, with some account of the Zapotec Remains at
Mitla," superbly issued, in large quarto, with plates, by the Smith-
sonian Institute ; Sixth, an account of " Mexican Antiquities,"
24

358 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

printed, first, with many splendid illustrations, in copper plates, in
Schoolcraft's great Indian work, published by the Government of
the United States, and subsequently issued in a small private edition,
separately, of about thirty copies ; Seventh, " Tahgahjute ; or,
Logan, the Indian, and Captain Michael Cresap," an octavo volume,
beautifully printed by the celebrated Joel Munsell, of Albany,
vindicating Cresap from the attributed massacre of Logan's family ;
and Eighth, " A Memoir of Jared Sparks," the historian, printed in
elegant style by the Maryland Historical Society, for private
circulation among its members and friends. Besides these substan-
tial books, Mr. Mayer has contributed largely to the periodical
press, daily, monthly, and quarterly, of the Union, to the extent of
at least two additional volumes of miscellaneous articles, addresses
and speeches.

In 1844, with half a dozen citizens, most of whom are now dead,
Mr. Mayer founded the Maryland Historical Society, while he was
already President of the